Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh, convicted of rape, is chief of the Dera Sacha Sauda sect.
Self-styled godman Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh, sentenced to 20 years in prison for raping two women, has challenged his conviction in the Punjab and Haryana High Court, news agency PTI reported on Monday.
Ram Rahim is currently lodged at Rohtak's Sunaria jail. His conviction last month had led to widespread violence on August 25 when scores of Dera supporters damaged property worth crores in Panchkula, where the court announced its decision.
Its ripple effect was witnessed in Sirsa, the headquarters of the sect and other towns in Haryana, Punjab and Rajasthan. According to the police, about 40 people were killed and over 200 were left injured in the violence.