Bajinder Singh

Bajinder Singh runs the Church of Glory and Wisdom, a Pentecostal church at Tajpur village on Nakodar Road near Jalandhar, with a centre at Majri near Mohali. The Tribune reported in 2018 that he was a Haryanvi Jat who had converted to Christianity and begun preaching in Punjab, and that he set up the Tajpur church about two years earlier. He became widely known through viral videos of his sermons, often with the chant "Mera Yeshu Yeshu". The Tribune reported in 2023 that he had more than two million YouTube followers. He describes his "miracle services" as healing the sick, while Scroll notes that rationalists have called him a fraud who promotes superstition among followers.

Key moments

• 20 April 2018: an FIR was registered at Zirakpur police station on the complaint of a 23-year-old woman who accused him of raping her on the pretext of sending her abroad.
• 18 July 2018: he was arrested at Delhi airport as he was about to fly to London, and was later released on bail.
• 28 March 2025: Additional District and Sessions Judge Vikrant Kumar in Mohali found him guilty under sections 376 (rape), 323 and 506 of the Indian Penal Code. Five other accused were acquitted.
• 1 April 2025: he was sentenced to life imprisonment until death and fined Rs 1 lakh. The court observed that he had committed a heinous offence by misusing his position. He pleaded for leniency, citing his wife, two children and a rod in his leg.
• His counsel said they would challenge the sentence in the Punjab and Haryana High Court. The reports used here do not say how the appeal has gone.

He faces a separate case, registered on 28 February 2025 on the complaint of a 21-year-old former volunteer of his ministry from Kapurthala, over sexual harassment, stalking and criminal intimidation. The Tribune reported in April 2025 that it had not yet come before a court.

What he is known for: The Tribune listed his church in 2023 among the most popular ministries in Jalandhar, alongside Ankur Narula's and Harpreet Deol's, and his conviction was widely reported. The conviction is for the 2018 offence, not for his preaching, and it is open to appeal. Everything beyond the court's findings in that case is a matter of allegation or opinion.