Indian court sentences self-styled guru to 20 years in prison

NEW DELHI: An Indian judge sentenced a self-styled 'godman', whose followers went on a deadly rampage after he was convicted of rape last week, to 20 years´ jail on Monday, but a shoot-to-kill order, curfew and heavy police presence kept protesters at bay.

A spokesman for the Central Bureau of Investigation, which investigated the case, said late on Monday that Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh would serve two consecutive 10-year-terms for the two rape convictions.

"He has been sentenced for 10 plus 10, which is a total of 20 years of imprisonment. I have the judgement which details the sentence," said Abhishek Dayal, spokesman for the CBI, which prosecuted the case.

Supporters of Singh’s cult resorted to violent protests last week, which killed at least 38 and injured more than 200 in Haryana state, after a local court found him guilty of raping two women in a case dating back to 2002.

The cult has a vast rural following in the states of Punjab and Haryana.