Chandigarh: Senior advocate Anupam Gupta on Wednesday (February 26) withdrew his name as amicus curiae in the case related to castration charges against controversial head of Sirsa-based Dera Sacha Sauda Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh.
On December 23, 2014, the Punjab and Haryana high court had ordered a CBI probe into the charges of forced castration of Gurmeet Ram Rahim’s followers inside the dera. Justice K Kannan of the HC had passed those orders after hearing a petition filed by Hans Raj Chauhan, a former follower of DSS.
Gurmeet Ram Rahim (Sauda Sadh).
While issuing the orders, HC had also appointed noted lawyer Anupam Gupta as amicus curiae to bring to light the high points, deficiencies in the reports and help the court formulate appropriate guidance throughout the investigation and a smooth course of trial, if the investigation led to the trial.
Gupta withdrew his name as amicus curiae on Wednesday during the resumed hearing of an appeal filed by the dera head against the December 23 orders. Dera head has objected to appointment of advocate Gupta as amicus curiae.
In his petition, Chauhan had claimed that he along with around 400 followers of Dera were allegedly castrated inside the dera with the false hope that such emasculation would lead to realization of God through dera head Gurmeet Ram Rahim. The appeal of dera chief against CBI probe would now come up for further hearing on March 17 when the agency has been asked to file its status report in the case.