Rampal in for trouble; bail in murder case cancelled

CHANDIGARH : Controversial ‘godman’ Rampal was in for deep trouble with his bail in a 2006 murder case being cancelled today by the Punjab and Haryana High Court which posted the matter to November 28 till when he will be in judicial custody.
Rampal, who was not obeying the HC directives for appearance before it, was arrested from his ashram in Barwala in Haryana’s Hisar district last night after over two weeks of standoff between police and his supporters, who posed stiff resistance and even resorted to violence on Tuesday.
The bench comprising Justices M Jeyapaul and Darshan Singh today pronounced the cancellation of his bail in connection with a case of murder registered in 2006 after a clash at his Ashram at Kainthola in Rohtak district where one person had died and some others were injured.
The bail was cancelled after Haryana Advocate General and Station House Officer (SHO) of Barwala Police Station moved an application stating that Rampal had been arrested in a contempt of court case. The HC also ordered that he be arrested immediately.
Rampal, who had refused to appear before the High Court citing ill-health, was this morning taken for a mandatory medical test at a government hospital in Panchkula and all his health parameters were found to be “stable”.
He was later produced before the HC in a contempt of court case and was sent to judicial custody.
The bench posted the matter to November 28 with a direction to Haryana Police chief to file an affidavit giving details of the operation carried out to arrest Rampal from his ashram in Barwala in Haryana’s Hisar district along with damages, injuries to people, regarding arms and ammunition in the Ashram and loss of property.
Rampal had been evading his appearance in a contempt of court case before the HC, which issued a direction to police to produce him by tomorrow. (AGENCIES)