High Court asks Khatta Singh to file affidavit; matter listed for October 6

CHANDIGARH: Punjab and Haryana High court today asked Khatta Singh, a former driver of Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh, to file an affidavit with regard to what he wanted to say in connection with the murder of Ranjit Singh.

The single bench has listed the matter for October 6.

"Justice Surinder Gupta today asked Khatta Singh to file an affidavit with regard to what he wants to state as the high court wanted to ensure that he does not retract from his statement again," Khatta Singh's counsel Navkiran Singh said.

On September 29, Khatta Singh had moved the court seeking to record fresh statement in the Ranjit Singh murder case. A former manager of the Dera Sacha Sauda, Ranjit Singh was killed in 2002.

On September 25, a special CBI court in Panchkula had dismissed the plea of Khatta Singh, seeking to record a fresh statement.

Dera head Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh, facing 20 years of imprisonment in a 2002 case of raping two disciples, is named as key conspirator in the Ranjit Singh murder case.

The special CBI court in Panchkula is hearing the cases of murder of journalist Ram Chander Chhatrapati and Ranjit Singh.

Khatta Singh had given a statement in the Ranjit Singh case in 2007 but then retracted in 2012.

Ranjit Singh was murdered for his suspected role in circulating an anonymous letter which made allegations of sexual exploitation against the Dera head, according to the prosecution.