Asaram Bapu Rape Case Judgment: 'Godman' Found Guilty by Jodhpur Court

Jodhpur, April 25:   Self-Styled Godman Asaram Bapu and all other accused in connection with 2013 rape case have been convicted by Jodhpur Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe Court on Wednesday.  Asaram's involvement was probed in two separate cases - one from Rajasthan and the other from Gujarat.  Special Judge SC/ST Court Madhusudhan Sharma delivered the verdict in Jodhpur Jail on Wednesday in the rape case against self-styled godman Asaram Bapu and others. The quantum of punishment will be decided later.

According to the verdict pronounced by the Jodhpur Court, Asaram and all other accused have been convicted by Jodhpur Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe Court in a rape case.  It must be noted that Asaram, who is lodged in Jodhpur Central jail, he has been convicted of raping a minor girl in Manai village near Jodhpur on August 15, 2013.

Meanwhile, Asaram's spokesperson Neelam Dubey said they will talk to their legal team and decide future course of action. We will discuss with our legal team and then decide our future course of action. We have confidence in our judiciary," Dubey said.

Reports state that Asaram was being tried for IPC 342 (Wrongful confinement), IPC 376(2)(F) (Rape of a minor girl), IPC 376 D (Rape), IPC 354 A (Outraging the modesty of a woman), IPC 506 (Criminal intimidation) and IPC 109 (Abetment to an offence). The self-styled guru may be sentenced to 10 years in jail or life imprisonment.

Earlier on Wednesday, people were seen offering prayers at the godman's ashram in Madhya Pradesh's Bhopal, Uttar Pradesh's Varanasi, Gujarat's Ahmedabad and Punjab's Ludhiana for his acquittal.

The case in which the Godman has been convicted was registered in Rajasthan. A teenage girl from Shahajahanpur of Uttar Pradesh had accused Asaram of raping her at his ashram in Manai village near Jodhpur on the night of August 15, 2013, while in Gujarat, two Surat-based sisters lodged separate complaints against the self-styled godman and his son Narayan Sai, accusing them of rape.

Security in Rajasthan has been heightened in view of the verdict against Asaram Bapu. Other states like Rajasthan, Gujarat, and Haryana — have been asked to step up their security to prevent any untoward incident and deploy additional forces to the sensitive areas, a Home Ministry official said.

To recall, Asaram was taken into police custody in August 2013, following which he was taken to Jodhpur Central jail. A month later, a potency test was conducted on him and was produced before a Jodhpur court. While the self-styled godman has filed a number of bail petitions, a total of 12 applications were rejected by the trial court, the Rajasthan High Court, and the Supreme Court.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Apr 25, 2018 10:47 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).