Dera Sauda Sirsa came in clash with the Sikhs in 2007 when Dera chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim attempted to personify himself as Tenth Sikh Guru, Sri Guru Gobind Singh Ji and staged a darama of Amrit Sanskar. Personification of Sikh Guru or staging drama of Amrit Sanskar is strictly prohibited in the Sikh tradition.
Gurmeet Ram Rahim was booked by Punjab police on the complaint of Rajinder Singh Sidhu in 2007. The case was ultimately got discharged from the court by the Punjab government led by Parkash Singh Badal in 2015 as the Punjab police had filed a closure report in this matter.
As it was the prosecution (state government and police), who got Gurmeet Ram Rahim discharged in this case, the state did not file an appeal. Similarly Rajinder Singh Sidhu, who was connected with SAD (Badal), did not take any legal court against lower court’s decision. Advocate Jaspal Singh Manjhpur and Baba Hardeep Singh Mehraj, who had joined the case in as co-complainants in 2011 challenged lower court’s verdict in the Punjab and Haryana High Court. That appeal is still pending for hearing.
Sikh Siyasat editor Parmjeet Singh talked to Advocate Jaspal Singh Manjhpur in detail about this case.