Dera Followers Castration Case: Punjab and Haryana HC Rejects Doctor's Plea to Waive Bail Conditions
Punjab and Haryana High Court
Chandigarh: The Punjab and Haryana High Court has refused to waive two crucial bail conditions imposed on the doctor accused in the case of castration of Dera Sacha Sauda followers. The court upheld the conditions requiring the doctor to surrender his passport and obtain prior approval before travelling abroad.
The case dates back to January 7, 2015, when an FIR was registered by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on January 7, following directions from the High Court. The investigation focuses on allegations that the doctor, along with fellow medical professionals and Dera Sacha Sauda leader Gurmeet Ram Rahim, illegally performed castrations on the Dera's followers, allegedly for financial gain.
The doctor faces charges under sections 326 (voluntarily causing grievous hurt), 120-B (criminal conspiracy), and 417 (cheating) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), along with Dr M P Singh, who also stands accused in the case.
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The doctor in his petition has requested the court to waive, dispense with, or substitute conditions five and six imposed by the Panchkula trial court when granting him regular bail in the castration case. These conditions required the doctor to surrender his passport to the court and prohibited him from leaving the country without prior permission from the court.
As per the recent media report by TOI, the HC held, "Prima facie, the allegation against the present petitioner is that he performed illegal castration of devotees/victims of Dera Sacha Sauda, Sirsa, Haryana. This court examined the conditions and does not find any perversity or illegality thereof, requiring any interference by this court."
Justice Kuldeep Tiwari issued these orders while rejecting a petition filed by Dr Pankaj Garg, a surgeon from Panchkula, who is one of the primary accused in the castration case alongside Gurmeet Ram Rahim and others.
The doctor, in his defence, argued that he had not committed any offence and claimed the allegations were made after a significant delay of over a decade, without sufficient explanation. However, the court was not persuaded by his argument, concluding that the charges against him, particularly given their gravity, warranted the continuation of the bail conditions.
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According to TOI, after hearing the parties and examining the case, the HC dismissed the petition, finding it completely "devoid of merits". The hearing took place on Dec 4, and the order was released recently.
The CBI investigation into the case revealed that Gurmeet Ram Rahim exploited the castrated followers to meet the financial needs of Dera Sacha Sauda. The agency’s probe also uncovered that Gurmeet Ram Rahim manipulated these devotees by cultivating a close relationship with them, pressuring them into undergoing castration. Currently, the trial of the accused doctor and others involved in the castration case is ongoing before a special CBI court in Panchkula.
