DHAKA:  Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh was on Monday (Aug 28) sentenced to 20 years rigorous imprisonment (10 years for each rape case) in two rape and sexual exploitation cases.

The court also fined the Dera chief Rs 15 lakh in each of the two cases, of which Rs 14 lakh each would go to the two victims who were part of his sect and were coerced into having sex with him.

Earlier, it was reported that the Dera chief would spend 10 years in jail for both rape cases.

The Dera chief apparently sobbed in the courtroom as he begged to be treated leniently and asked to be forgiven, reported Times Now.

The quantum of punishment was read out in a court specially set up inside the District Jail premises in Sunaria near Rohtak, where Ram Rahim was brought and lodged after his conviction on Friday.

CBI special court judge Jagdeep Singh, who had on Friday held the Dera chief guilty of rape and criminal intimidation of the two female disciples in 2002, was flown to Rohtak on Monday to pronounce the quantum of sentence against the convicted Dera chief.

Ram Rahim's lawyers had pleaded for a lighter sentence in view of his philanthropic work today while the CBI had sought a life sentence.

A multi-layer security cordon has been thrown around the Rohtak district jail by paramilitary forces and Haryana Police ahead of the sentencing. The Army has been kept on stand-by.

No movement of people, other than those authorized, will be allowed within a distance of 10 km from the prison premises.

Senior members of Ram Rahim's Dera Sacha Sauda sect were placed under detention as a precautionary measure. The Rohtak police has warned that it may shoot at any sign of trouble.

Large gatherings are banned in the city.  Mobile internet services remain suspended. All schools and colleges in Haryana are closed.

Over 1,50,000 members of Ram Rahim's Dera Sacha Sauda had gathered in Panchkula in a show of support before Friday's verdict. Violent protests followed across his power base in the Haryana, with police deploying tear gas and water cannons, with little impact. It was clear the authorities grossly underestimated the risk posed by the army of Ram Rahim's devotees.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi warned yesterday that  "Violence is not acceptable in the nation, in any form." But his party, the BJP, which governs Haryana, has come under heavy fire for failing to prevent the outbreak of violence and allowing the 50-year-old guru to travel in a luxury chopper to jail.

BDST: 1615 HRS, AUG 28, 2017
AP