20-years in Jail for Ram Rahim: Both sentences would run consecutively, says lawyer

Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh was sentenced on Monday to 20 years in prison in two rape cases, as security forces in Haryana and Punjab went on high alert to prevent possible violence by his followers.

Ram Rahim will serve in total of 20 years in jail - 10 years each for two offences of raping two of his disciples.

"He has been sentenced for 10 years for one offence and again 10 years for other offence mainly. He has been convicted under 506 also in both the cases. Total sentence would be about 20 years," SK Narwana, Ram Rahim's lawyer said.

"Not both sentences would be consecutive. But sentence of 376 and 506 both would run concurrently," he added.

Previously it was reported that the Dera chief was sentenced to 10 years in prison.

The sentence was passed by Jagdeep Singh, a special CBI judge, in a makeshift court in the Sunaria jail where Ram Rahim, 50, had been lodged since his conviction on Friday.

As the judge pronounced the sentenced, Ram Rahim broke down and asked for forgiveness with folded hands when the sentence was read out. He then refused to leave the court room, in the jail library.

The special courtroom within the jail was set up on the instructions of the Punjab and Haryana High Court.

The high court had notified district jail at Sunaria as a place of sitting of CBI court of Additional District and Sessions Judge, Panchkula for the purpose of hearing on the quantum of sentence and pronouncement of the sentence.

A multi-layer security cordon manned by police and 23 companies of paramilitary forces was thrown in and around Rohtak and also around the jail. The Army has been kept on standby while all routes to the jail were sealed.

Haryana and Punjab remained on high alert with officials warning that violent miscreants will be shot at sight, describing the security situation as "challenging."

The special CBI court of judge Jagdeep Singh in Panchkula last Friday held Ram Rahim guilty of rape in a case that was registered on the basis of an anonymous written complaint in April 2002 that he had sexually exploited two female followers. The case was registered by the CBI in December 2002 on the directions of the Punjab and Haryana High Court.

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