Self-styled godman Ram Rahim will have to change many habits as a prisoner

Ram Rahim, who led a life of extravagance and grandeur at his Sirsa-based dera, on Monday evening was standing in a special CBI court with folded hands and miserably begging for mercy before Judge Jagdeep Singh in Rohtak's Sunaria Jail. He was sentenced to 10 years of rigorous imprisonment.  Rahim is known to be a man with many interests - including sports, film making, acting, photography. Unfortunately, for the self-styled godman all his fascinations will elude him when he is serving his prison sentence for the next ten years. The chief of Dera Sacha Sauda faces a grim future as he will have to let go of his luxurious lifestyle.

The baba owns several SUVs and Sedans including Hummer, Range Rover, Ford Endeavours, Bugatti, Bentley Continental, Toyota Fortuners and the list is endless. Baba owns 700 acre agricultural land and has over 46 ashrams spread across the country. He claims to have more than 5 million followers across the world with a majority of them based in Haryana and Punjab.

Dera Sacha Sauda was started in 1948 by ascetic Mastana Balochistani. The Dera Sacha Sauda describes itself as spiritual organisation, but Rahim's activities has been unlike most spiritual gurus. He has made films, acted and sung songs.

The Dera Sacha Sauda website lists a number of achievements of Rahim in education, sports, films, and social work. However, most of the claims made on the website cannot be verified and looks fraudulent and designed with the clear intention to create a sense of awe among his followers.    The sect claims to have more than sixty million followers, mostly Dalit Sikhs. Baba Ram Rahim has a massive following, especially in Punjab and Haryana. He was born in Ganganagar in Rajasthan on August 15, 1967.  The worth of Dera's properties, with huge pockets of land and many ashrams, is believed to run into millions of rupees even through there is no definite account of it. Some media reports have claimed that the Dera's daily income was Rs 16,44,833 three years ago. Dera Sacha Sauda and the organisations related to it enjoy tax exemption under Section 10(23) of the Income Tax Act, 1961. Dera Sacha Sauda has been involved in public service activities such as large-scale blood donation camps and rehabilitation centres.   Ram Rahim is not an ordinary godman. In his Twitter profile, Ram Rahim describes himself as "Spiritual Saint/Philanthropist/Versatile Singer/Allrounder Sportsperson/Film Director/Actor/Art Director/Music Director/ Writer/Lyricist/Autobiographer/DOP".  The self-styled godman has also directed and acted in movies such as MSG: The Messenger of God, MSG 2 the Messenger, Jattu Engineer, Hind Ka NaPak Ko Jawab and MSG The Warrior Lion Heart . Baba was the lead choreographer, singer, director and producer in these movies. The Baba has also released several albums glorifying himself which have been welcomed by his followers.   Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh is one of the 36 people in India who got a VVIP Status and a Z level security cover.