New Delhi: After the state government gave its go ahead, the Punjab Police can now arrest Dera Sacha Sauda head Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh.
A Bathinda court had issued a non-bailable arrest warrant against Ram Rahim Singh, and directed the Bathinda Police to get the state's sanction for arrest.
However, there was a catch and that was that the arrest warrant must be implemented by July 1 or it would expire and another warrant would have been needed for the arrest.
The state government's permission has come soon after the Akal Takht rejected the Dera chief's latest apology for hurting the religious sentiments of the Sikhs.
"A formal permission for the prosecution of the Dera head has been given," Punjab Principal Secretary (Home) B C Gupta was quoted by news agency PTI as saying.
Emerging from a meeting of Akal Takhat, Jathedar Joginder Singh Vedanti told reporters, "The fresh note received from Dera head neither accepts his sin nor promises not to repeat such act again."
Asked whether the Akal Takhat accepts or rejects the fresh apology by the head of the Sirsa-based sect, Vedanti said, "It's not an apology. It's a press note from the head of Dera Sacha Sauda without his signature."
Punjab Advocate General H S Matthelwal said the state government gave the go-ahead to arrest the Dera head because he was "not cooperating" in the investigations.
He said the government had acted on the directive of the court and "it is in good spirit of the law".
Matthelwal told PTI that the Haryana government would cooperate in prosecuting the Dera head who is based in Sirsa in the neighbouring state.
Bhatinda SSP Naunihal Singh added he would act the moment he receives the state government's order to arrest the Dera head.
The Dera Chief had invited the ire of Akal Takhat for allegedly dressing like Sikh Guru Gobind Singh and his action sparked violent protest by the Sikhs across Punjab last month.
(With inputs from PTI)
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