Three Dera Sacha Sauda followers, accused in a Punjab sacrilege case, get 3-year jail term

A Moga court on Thursday sentenced three followers of Sirsa based Dera Sacha Sauda to 3-year imprisonment. They were accused in a sacrilege case.

The court of Rahul Garg, Judicial Magistrate First Class (JMIC), Moga, sentenced the accused to three-year jail in a sacrilege case. The court also slapped a fine of Rs 5,000 each on them.

In 2015, torn pages of Guru Granth Sahib were found on the streets of Malke village of Moga district of Punjab and a case under Sections 295-A (intended to outrage religious feelings) and 295 (intent to insult the religion) of the IPC was registered against unidentified people at Samalsar police station.

To investigate, the Punjab government had constituted a Special Investigating Team (SIT) of state police which had identified three accused as Prithi Singh, a resident of Baghapurana; Mithu Singh and Amardeep Singh, both residents of Malke village.

The SIT had got vital clues about the involvement of these Dera followers in the case during interrogation of Prithi in the Bargari sacrilege case. Due to lack of evidence, the SIT, however, had acquitted two Dera Followers Dalwinder Singh and Satnam Singh, accused in the case.

This is the first case of sacrilege in which three accused have been given jail term.