The Punjab and Haryana High Court on Monday expressed its severe displeasure at the failure of the Haryana Government to execute an arrest warrant on Baba Rampal, and asked the Registrar General to issue a fresh non-bailable arrest warrant in the name of the self-styled god man. The court further directed the Haryana Government to arrest and produce Baba Rampal before the court on November 17.
"The court has expressed severe displeasure at the failure of the state government to execute the warrant of arrest, rejecting the so called medical board and it's so called report in unambiguous terms and saying that was clearly without permission of the court and was intended to help Baba Rampal," public prosecutor Anupam Gupta told the media here.
"If the warrant remains unexecuted even then, the court has directed the Director General of Police, Haryana, and the Home Secretary, Haryana, to remain present before it at 10 o clock on the 17th of November," he added.
Gupta further stated that the division bench has been informed that Ram Kanwar Dhaka, the president of the National Social Service Committee, has been arrested and brought before the court. However, Baba Rampal was not arrested.
Gupta further said, "The Advocate General of Haryana had submitted to the court a status report by way of an affidavit of the DGP, Haryana, wherein it was stated that the police force was grossly inadequate in dealing with the situation. Besides, a medical board constituted by the Deputy Commissioner, Hisar, which had examined Baba Rampal after the last date of hearing, had reported that he was seriously ill. And that therefore, the warrant of arrest against Baba Rampal could not be executed."
"The Counsel for Baba Rampal in response to a question from the bench said that Baba Rampal was not well and that he would appear before the court as and when his health permitted him to do so. The Advocate General, Haryana, as part of his oral summations before the bench, also stated that there was a large congregation that had gathered at the ashram of Baba Rampal and that the police was confronted with the situation of causing casualties. And he, therefore, sought more time to execute the warrant of arrest," he added.
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On his views expressed before the court, Gupta said, "When asked by the court to make my summations as amicus curiae or counsel for the court, I submitted that there was a patent contradiction between the affidavit of the DGP Haryana and the oral summations of the Advocate General. The DGP, Haryana, stated that the warrant of arrest could not be executed, because of the poor medical condition of Baba Rampal, while the Advocate General had referred to the difficulty in arresting him because of the congregation gathered at his ashram."
"I further submitted that the affidavit of the DGP Haryana and the stand taken by the Advocate General betrays a complete lack of seriousness on the part of the state government in implementing the orders of this court to arrest Baba Rampal. I submitted that this is a case of conscious and wilful collusion between the state machinery at the highest level and Baba Rampal," he added.
Gupta also stated that division bench issued notice about cancellation of bail issued earlier to Baba Rampal.
"The division bench has further issued notice to the state of Haryana, which has been accepted by the Additional Advocate General assisting the Advocate General, as also to the senior counsel for Baba Rampal, which has been accepted by the Advocate on record assisting the senior counsel for Baba Rampal. This is a notice for cancellation of the bail earlier granted by the High Court in the year 2008, to Baba Rampal in the main murder case for which he has been tried by the Sessions Court, Rohtak," he said.
Rampal has been charged with murder; attempt to commit murder and other charges under various sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) in 2006 after his followers attacked villagers. In 2013, Rampal's followers clashed with villagers in Rohtak, killing three people.