Chandigarh: The Punjab and Haryana High Court on Wednesday granted bail to self-styled godman Rampal, suspending his life sentence in a high-profile sedition case. The decision comes after Rampal spent over 11 years in jail in a seditious case. The case followed the infamous 2014 Satlok Ashram standoff, a case that gripped the nation and ended in tragedy.
The roots of the case trace back to November 2014, when Rampal repeatedly failed to appear in court for a pending legal matter. When police moved to arrest him following his failed court appearance at his Satlok Ashram in Barwala, they were met with fierce resistance from thousands of his followers.
Rampal was finally taken into custody on November 19, 2014. The violence had claimed the lives of five women and a one-and-a-half-year-old girl. This incident, known as the “Satlok Ashram Deaths Case,” led to charges of murder and sedition against the cult leader.
In 2018, convicted of the murder of the five women and the child, Rampal was sentenced to life imprisonment. As of this fresh ruling by the Court, Rampal has spent approximately 11 years, 4 months, and 20 days in jail.
The High Court has now suspended his life sentence, specifically in the sedition case, allowing for his release on bail.
While Rampal remains a polarising figure in the legal system, his reputation in the rural heartlands has seen a surprising transformation. Last year, when heavy rains triggered devastating floods and waterlogged agricultural fields, Rampal’s network reportedly stepped in to provide large-scale relief, according to several media reports.
Media reports indicate that he facilitated the distribution of drainage pipes and high-powered motors to thousands of submerged villages. These efforts allowed farmers to save their crops and homes from rising waters at a time when the government failed” to cater for the whole population. This humanitarian intervention by his followers during the floods has led many villagers to rebrand the controversial figure as a “messiah” or “saviour” of the farming community.