CHANDIGARH: The Mohali District Court has sentenced self-proclaimed pastor Bajinder Singh in a 2018 sexual assault case. Singh, who had boasted of miraculous healings in his ministry, the Church of Glory and Wisdom, was convicted of sexually assaulting a woman from Zirakpur under the guise of providing her with travel opportunities abroad. The sentencing has been scheduled for April 1.
Born in 1982 in Yamunanagar, Haryana, Bajinder Singh comes from a Hindu Jat background. He was arrested in the early 2000s in a murder case. While in jail, he converted to Christianity after befriending Pastor Shankar Bahadur, a Nepali prisoner who introduced him to the religion. After being released, Singh held prayer meetings in 2012, claiming to provide miraculous cures and disease remedies. His ministry quickly grew in popularity, leading to the opening of various branches in Punjab and beyond.
Singh’s life has been marred by legal problems. In 2018, he was taken into custody on charges of allegedly raping a woman at his place in Sector 63, Chandigarh. The victim claimed that Singh taped the beating and used the video to threaten her. Later, in March 2025, a 22-year-old woman accused him of sexual harassment, mental torture, and intimidation. She alleged that he inappropriately touched her during solo prayer sessions and stalked her to college.
She also accused him of engaging in illegal activities, such as opium smuggling and trafficking women to brothels. These accusations led to several FIRs against Singh, including charges of rape, fraud, criminal intimidation, and illegal religious conversions. His church has also come under the radar of the Income Tax Department over allegations of financial fraud, with believers accusing him of charging exorbitant amounts of money for miracle cures that never worked.