Singh has been sentenced to two consecutive terms of 10 years each, the defence lawyer informed. The quantum of sentence was announced by Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) special court judge Jagdeep Singh at a specially set up court inside the library of the District Jail in Sunaria near Rohtak town in Haryana.
The CBI judge had on Friday held the Dera chief guilty of rape and criminal intimidation of the two female disciples in 1999. The complaint in the case was filed in 2002.
While the defence (sect) counsel had argued for minimum punishment for the disgraced sect chief saying that he was a social worker and had health issues, the prosecution side (CBI counsel) sought maximum punishment for the rape convict given his conduct.
There was drama inside the special court near Rohtak as the convicted sect chief broke down and pleaded with folded hands before the judge.
After the sentence was announced, Ram Rahim sat down on the floor and wept. He was taken away by jail wardens.
Ram Rahim was immediately medically examined by doctors and found to be fine.
Earlier, the judge was specially flown to Rohtak, 70 km from Delhi, on Monday for announcing the sentence at the special court.
Ram Rahim was brought and lodged in the jail (Prisoner No. 1997) here after his conviction by the CBI court in Panchkula, adjoining Chandigarh, on Friday.
There were reports of fresh violence in Sirsa town, 260 km from here, on Monday afternoon. Two vehicles were set on fire by Dera followers, sources said.
To keep Dera followers, who had indulged in large-scale violence in Panchkula on Friday after he was convicted, in check, authorities in Haryana on Monday issued shoot-at-sight orders in and around the District Jail at Sunaria.
Thirty-eight people were killed and 264 others were injured in the violence in Panchkula and Sirsa towns in Haryana.
The quantum of sentence will be done in a court being specially set up inside the District Jail premises in Sunaria near Rohtak, 70 km from Delhi, where Ram Rahim was brought and lodged after his conviction.
Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) special court judge Jagdeep Singh, who had on Friday held the Dera chief guilty of rape and criminal intimidation of the two female disciples in 2002, will be flown to Rohtak on Monday for announcing the sentence.
The sect chief has been convicted on two counts for rape (Section 376 IPC), criminal intimidation (Section 506 IPC) and Section 509 (word, gesture or act intended to insult the modesty of a woman).
The minimum punishment for rape is seven years which may extend till life (term). The other sections have imprisonment for two and one years respectively.
The district jail premises, about 10 km from Rohtak town, has been completely cordoned off by security forces, including para-military forces and Haryana Police. The Army has been kept on stand-by.
No movement of people, other than those authorized, will be allowed within a distance of 10 km from the prison premises.
"We are fully prepared for any situation. The Army has been kept on stand-by," Haryana Director General of police (DGP) B.S. Sandhu said.
Rohtak range Inspector General (IG) Navdeep Singh Virk said that 28 companies of para-military forces, along with Haryana Police, have been deployed in Rohtak.
Security forces were on high alert again on Monday in Haryana and Punjab as both states braced for the announcement of quantum of punishment to the disgraced sect chief.
Curfew was reimposed in Haryana's Sirsa town, where the sect's headquarters are located, on Sunday. The curfew will continue on Monday.
The sect has lakhs of followers mainly in Punjab and Haryana.
According to the prosecution, Bhol, a resident of Shyamsundarpur village under Sadar police station in the district, raped the woman while she was returning from a cultural function on April 19, 2013.
The probe agency urged the court to give maximum punishment of life term, prescribed under the law, to the politician.
The court adjourned till December 20 the hearing on order for the quantum of sentence to Sengar.
District Judge Dharmesh Sharma adjourned the proceedings in the case till Friday after briefly hearing the arguments by the CBI, the complainant as well as the convict.
The counsel for the CBI and the complainant sought maximum punishment for Sengar, saying the court must consider the "cry of the girls in heinous crimes".
"The sentence must be commensurate with the gravity, seriousness and impact of the crime and its impact on the society at large should be considered. If we see the factual matrix of the case, right from the beginning it is a quest for justice of an individual against the system.
"It is the fight of an individual against the system. Hence we seek the maximum punishment for the convict," CBI's Public Prosecutor Ashok Bhartendu said.
While supporting CBI's submission, the counsel appearing for the rape survivor also sought adequate monetary compensation for her.
"An adequate monetary compensation should be given to the rape survivor. Since the convict is a public servant, it should be considered while granting the compensation," the counsel said.
Dharmendra Mishra, counsel for the rape survivor and her family, told the court, "The woman lost her father, her two aunts. She has been suffering since 2017. She has been de-rooted from her roots."
The counsel appearing for Sengar, however, urged the court to give minimum punishment to him, 10-year jail term, saying he had no prior criminal record.
"He had a political career without any blemish. Since 2002-till date he has been elected repeatedly as a member of the legislative assembly by the public," advocate Tanveer Ahmed Mir, appearing for Sengar, said, adding that the convict did not have a "depraved mentality".
Advocates Dhruv Gupta and Tushan Rawal, also appearing for Sengar, said that the politician was 54-year old and had two minor daughters.
The counsel further mentioned various development works reportedly done by Sengar as an MLA.
"He is responsible for the construction of bridges on river Ganga in a village in UP. He built multiple institutes at Maunpur. His good conduct should also be considered. He should be given minimum punishment," the defence counsel said.
The court had on Monday convicted Sengar for rape under the Indian Penal Code and the POCSO Act for offence by a public servant committing penetrative sexual assault against a child. The rape survivor was a minor when she was assaulted.
After the judgment on Monday Mishra told reporters "our faith in justice has been restored".
(PTI)
Justice Suresh Kait also imposed Rs 25,000 fine on Gupta's advocate A.P. Singh, who didn't appear, for playing hide and seek in the court. The court also asked the Bar Council of Delhi to take appropriate action against the advocate for filing false document.
The petitioner stated that no ossification test was conducted by the investigating officers and claimed that the juvenility claim could be raised at any time, even after the final disposal of the case.
Gupta sought the court's direction for an ossification test to determine his age and settle the question of juvenility.
He claimed to be an "innocent boy" who was "totally falsely implicated" in the case by "anti-social elements" due to a "revengeful motive" with the "help of police officials".
(IANS)