NEW DELHI, Aug. 25 (Xinhua) -- A local court in northern Indian state of Haryana Friday in its verdict said self-styled godman and spiritual guru Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh was guilty of raping two women followers, officials said.
"The special Central Bureau of Investigations (CBI) court today convicted Dera Sacha Sauda head Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh in a 2002 rape case," an official said. "The CBI counsel HPS Verma said that quantum of sentence will be pronounced on Monday."
Thousands of Singh's followers had gathered at Panchkula district near Chandigarh, the capital city of Punjab and Haryana, apparently in a bid to show solidarity with Singh.
Authorities have deployed massive security in the state in anticipation of trouble in Haryana and Punjab. An alert has been sounded in the twin states.
The court has sought personal appearance of Singh on Friday while delivering the verdict. Singh arrived in a 200-car cavalcade.
"He has been arrested and moved to a jail in Ambala," local media reports said.
Singh is accused of sexually assaulting two of his women followers in 2002 at his Dera headquarters on the outskirts of Sirsa town in Haryana.
The Dera chief was charged in 2007 and the trial began the following year after India's premier investigating agency - Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) took the testimonies of the two women.
Singh has denied the charges against him.
The 50-year-old Singh heads a religious sect locally called Dera Sacha Sauda. The sect claims to be a "social welfare and spiritual organization."
Singh the flamboyant and controversial chief claims to have 50 million followers and runs a spiritual empire.
