The flamboyant guru Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh who has been sentenced to 20 years in prison after conviction in two rape cases, is kept secluded in Rohtak’s Sunaria jail.
CBI Judge Jagdeep Singh on Monday pronounced two sentences of 10 years rigorous imprisonment to Ram Rahim in each of the two cases that date back to 2002, which will run consecutively for a total of 20 years in jail.
The Dera Sacha Sauda chief who has millions of followers and counts politicians, as well as celebrities as his friends, will now be known as prisoner number 1997, the number assigned to him in Sunaria jail.
Soon after the verdict, the 50-year-old self-proclaimed godman was taken for a medical examination and then he was given simple prison clothes.
Ram Rahim has been lodged in an approval cell which is easily accessible and closest to the administration, and two senior officers have been assigned for his protection, reported NDTV
The report also said that since the verdict, Ram Rahim drank only some water or milk and had eaten no solid food.
Ram Rahim also broke down and begged for forgiveness with folded hands when the first sentence was passed.
The court has fined him Rs 15 lakh in each of the two cases, of which Rs 14 lakh each would go to the two victims who were part of his sect and were coerced into having sex with him.
The defence counsel sought leniency from the court arguing that Ram Rahim was active in social work and had health issues. He said he will appeal against the orders in a high court.
The sentence was passed in a special courtroom set up inside the Sunaria jail.