Jail term will not be the only punishment for Gurmeet Ram Rahim: Here's what will happen to Dera Sacha Sauda

Ram Rahim faces at least seven years in jail for the rape of one of his followers, but that may not be the only punishment he receives. Ram Rahim may also be forced to pay for the damages done to public property by his supporters who went on a rampage in Haryana and Punjab after the court declared him guilty earlier today. The Punjab and Haryana High Court has reportedly ordered that the Ram Rahim's Dera Sacha Sauda is held accountable for the damages.

Dera Sacha Sauda, which calls itself a welfare and spiritual organisation, has many properties spread across Punjab and Haryana, including a 100-acre campus in Sirsa. The court's order could mean that these properties could be seized in the days ahead to recover the losses in today's violence. The violence was intense today with over thirty deaths reported, and massive damages to public property. Railway stations, power stations, train coaches, telecom towers, cars were torched in many parts of Punjab and Haryana. But since the violence has still not abated, it remains to be seen what will be the extent of the damage to the public property. But, it is pretty likely that the losses will run into crores.

Ram Rahim was presented earlier in the CBI special court in Panchkula, where he reached with a convoy of more than 180 cars, quite clearly flexing his muscle. When the court declared him guilty, his supporters ran riot in Panchkula, a city adjoining Chandigarh. The disruption spread fast across Haryana and Punjab as police and security personnel struggled to maintain law and order. Within hours, cars and media's OB vans were set on fire, petrol pumps and railway stations were attacked. There were also unconfirmed reports of the supporters entering residential areas and creating havoc. There were clashes with police in several parts, which is where the deaths took place. Also, the Army was deployed in Sirsa, one of the key centres of Dera Sacha Sauda, and Panchkula to restore law and order.