Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh was found guilty of raping two ‘sadhvis’ (female followers) by the CBI court in Panchkula, Haryana, media reports said.

The quantum of sentence will, however, be announced on August 28.

The decision came as soon as the Special CBI Court began the hearing on the case on Friday.

The CBI had filed an FIR against Ram Rahim in 2002 and the case came to trial in 2008. Both Punjab and Haryana are in heavy lockdown as thousands of followers of Ram Rahim Singh are on the roads.

Trains and bus services have been cancelled. Schools and colleges are closed. Paramilitary forces are patrolling the area around the CBI court in Panchkula.

The CBI had filed a FIR against Ram Rahim, accused of raping two ‘sadhvis’ (female followers), in 2002 and the case came to trial in 2008. On the last day of the hearing, the court had directed him to appear before it at 2.45 pm on Friday — when the verdict is likely to be announced. He has denied all charges against him.

Pertinently, as many as 74 trains have been cancelled for today in view of law and order situation in Haryana that might develop post the court  verdict.

This takes the total number of cancelled trains to 201.

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