Rape convict Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim on Monday broke down into tears and begged for mercy with folded hands before special CBI judge Jagdeep Singh in Rohtak’s Sunaria Jail as the makeshift court sentenced him to 20 years in jail for rape and criminal intimidation.
Unable to stand the verdict, Gurmeet screamed, “Koi mujhe bacha lo.” However, finding himself at his wit’s end, the sobbing Messenger of God actor pleaded, “thodi ji riyayat (have some mercy)”. As he threw tantrums and sat down on the floor weeping, security personnel had to drag him out of the court premises.
Even as he was being forcibly taken away by jail wardens to his barrack, his lawyers tried to seek leniency in prison rules for the sect chief, who is used to a life of ultra luxury.
Head of a multi-crore empire, Ram Rahim will have to sleep on the floor like any other convict.
The suitcases he took to the Rohtak jail has been returned as no personal clothes is allowed inside the cell.
As Ram Rahim’s jail term includes punitive labour work, he will be given work depending on his category: unskilled, semi-skilled or skilled.
The rape convict claims to have more than 5 million followers across the world with a majority of them based in Haryana, Punjab and Rajasthan. Ram Rahim was medically examined by doctors, led by the Rohtak chief medical officer (CMO), and found to be fine before being taken to his prison cell.
On Friday, after the self-styled godman was flown to the Rohtak jail, he was lodged in the jail as prisoner number 1997. His prisoner number 1997 will now change as he will get a new prisoner number as a convict.