Delhi High Court, on 26 September, dismissed the transit anticipatory bail plea of Honeypreet Insan.
The woman, who claims to be the “adopted daughter” of Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh – who has been found guilty of raping two women – approached the High Court on 25 September, seeking transit anticipatory bail, her lawyer said.
On 26 September, Ram Rahim moved the Punjab and Haryana High Court challenging the trial court's verdict.
Is Honeypreet in Delhi?
Honeypreet, neé Priyanka Taneja, tops the list of 43 persons 'wanted' by the Haryana Police in connection with the probes into the self-styled godman’s activities. She has been on the run ever since the cult leader was convicted in two rape cases.
Her lawyer, Pradeep Kumar Arya, confirmed that she visited his office in Delhi’s Lajpat Nagar on the afternoon of 25 September. Later that day, Arya told reporters that Insan had filed the anticipatory bail petition in the Delhi High Court.
"The easiest way out for you would be to surrender," the court had earlier observed in Honeypreet’s case. Reports suggested that the bail application was incomplete as the FIR papers were not attached. Her bail application reportedly mentioned that she is a “single woman with clean antecedents, is law abiding and willing to join investigation.”
Month-long Hunt for Honeypreet
Honeypreet accompanied the Dera head on 25 August, when he arrived at the CBI court in connection with the cases against him. She also travelled with him in the special chopper which ferried them to Rohtak from Panchkula after the conviction.
The CBI court, on 28 August, sentenced Ram Rahim to 20 years in prison for raping two of women in 2002. His conviction sparked incidents of violence and arson in Panchkula and Sirsa districts of Haryana, which left 41 people dead and several others injured.
The controversial sect head is currently lodged in Sunaria jail in Rohtak district of Haryana.
Since his conviction, several teams of Haryana Police have travelled across the country, including the Indo-Nepal border, to track down Honeypreet. A lookout notice was also issued.
(This story has been updated to reflect the rejection of Honeypreet Insan’s anticipatory bail plea. With inputs from PTI.)
(At The Quint, we question everything. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member today.)