The special CBI court in Panchkula on Friday pronounced Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh guilty in a 2002 rape case and ordered him to be taken into judicial custody. He will be lodged in Ambala jail, according to initial reports.
The court will pronounce the quantum of sentence on 28 August.
He was held guilty of raping two women followers in a case dating back to 2002 at the headquarters of his Dera Sacha Sauda group in the northern town of Sirsa.
The verdict triggered angry protests by his supporters who had gathered in their thousands outside the court to protest his innocence
Here are the latest updates:
Supporters resort to violence
Stone pelting has been reported in Sirsa by angry Dera Sacha Sauda supporters, according to reports. Heavy lathi charge, tear gas, water cannons being used by security personnel to disperse Dera followers outside the court.
Media vans attacked
Television showed pictures of many media vans with a cracked windscreen.
Delhi and Gurgaon put on high alert
Punjab CM appeals for peace
Meanwhile, mobile internet services had also been suspended in the states of Haryana and Punjab to stop people from spreading rumors and causing unrest, senior government official Ram Niwas said.