Panchkula, Sept. 7 -- Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim once again exempted from appearing before the CBI court in Panchkula in the castration case on Friday. Earlier, he had also skipped the hearing on August 14. However, co-accused, Dr MP Singh and Dr Pankaj Garg, who are on bail, were present in court. An application for exemption from personal appearance was moved by Gurmeet Ram Rahim's counsel, who informed the court that the accused had been temporarily released on parole for 40 days from August 4. His movement, however, is restricted by the competent authority, making it impossible for him to attend the hearing. The counsel clarified that his absence was not deliberate and that he had no objection if proceedings were recorded in his absence. Considering the facts and circumstances, the court allowed the application and exempted him from personal appearance. During the resumed hearing, one prosecution witness deposed. At this stage, the defence requested the court not to adjourn the matter for long intervals, arguing that this case is the oldest pending before the court. The court directed that summons be issued to one more prosecution witness (victim). If the victim is unable to appear, summons will be served to at least three other witnesses for the next date. The court also passed orders on a prosecution application regarding compliance of its August 2 directions. The investigating officer was instructed to follow the Ministry of Home Affairs guidelines to ensure that the testimony of the complainant, residing in the USA, could be recorded via video conferencing without further delay. The matter will now be heard on September 25 for remaining evidence. Last month, the court had allowed the complainant's application to depose through video conferencing from the United States, citing threats to his life, prohibitive travel costs, and the impracticality of travelling over 13,000 km. The complainant is the whistleblower in this case. His counsel argued that Gurmeet Ram Rahim, convicted in multiple cases of rape and murder, is often released on parole, which increases the complainant's apprehensions....