Chandigarh/IBNS: The Punjab government on Tuesday gave the nod to prosecute Dera Sacha Sauda chief and self-styled godman Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh in three sacrilege cases dating back to 2015, media reports said.

The Aam Aadmi Party government in Punjab also gave sanction to prosecute three other members of the Dera Sacha Sauda.

The sanction comes days after the Supreme Court lifted the Punjab and Haryana High Court's stay on the trial against the self-styled godman.

Ram Rahim is an accused in three sacrilege cases related to the discretion of the Guru Granth Sahib, which is the holy scripture of Sikhs.

The top court bench comprising Justices BR Gavai and KV Viswanathan issued a notice to Ram Rahim seeking his response within four weeks.

On June 1, 2015, a copy of Guru Granth Sahib was stolen from a gurdwara at a village in the Faridkot district of Punjab.

After protests by the Sikh leaders, torn pages of the holy scripture were found lying scattered on the ground in front of a gurdwara in Bargari on October 12, 2015.

The incidents had led to protests in Faridkot. Two persons were killed when police fired at the protesters and some were injured in Faridkot.

Ram Rahim, who is convicted in a rape case, is already serving a 20-year jail sentence.

Ram Rahim Singh was convicted by a special CBI court in Haryana's Panchkula in August 2017 for raping two women.

Rahim is known to have a mass following in Punjab and Uttar Pradesh, as well as Haryana.