Asaram’s troubles will increase, know in detail what is the Asaram case?
Asaram is currently serving his sentence in Jodhpur jail. The Gujarat government will challenge the order acquitting six accused in the rape case involving the self-styled godman in the High Court.
The Gujarat government will appeal in the High Court against the trial court’s acquittal of six accused in the 2013 rape case involving Asaram. The decisions have been taken by the state government’s law department. The government will challenge the acquittal of Asaram’s wife, his daughter and four of his followers. Asaram has been sentenced to life imprisonment in the case.
The prosecution has also sought the government’s permission to challenge the January 31 Gandhinagar court verdict, in which the judge had recommended life imprisonment for Asaram in the Jodhpur and Ahmedabad cases. The Rajasthan and Gujarat cases were separate, so the trial court had no jurisdiction to decide on concurrent sentences.
Gandhinagar court delivers the verdict
On January 31, a court in Gandhinagar had sentenced Asaram to life imprisonment in a rape case filed by his former female disciple in 2013. The court acquitted Asaram’s wife Lakshmiben, daughter Bharati and four of his disciples as they were accused of aiding and abetting the crime. There was no evidence.
Serving life sentence in Jodhpur jail
Asaram is serving life sentence in Jodhpur jail in another case of raping a minor girl at his ashram in Rajasthan in 2013. A Gandhinagar court had accused Asaram of raping a student from Surat between 2001 and 2007.
What is the Asaram case?
Asaram was convicted of repeatedly assaulting women at his ashram in the western state of Gujarat between 2001 and 2006.
The 81-year-old was convicted of raping a 16-year-old girl in 2018 and is now serving a life sentence.
His lawyer announced that he would challenge the latest court verdict.
Asaram has millions of followers and hundreds of ashrams around the world. He is known for his yoga and meditation teachings.
Ahead of Tuesday’s verdict, Gujarati authorities had beefed up security, fearing that the guru’s followers could retaliate violently.
Asaram was convicted a day earlier by a court in Gandhinagar city of several offences under the Indian Penal Code, including rape and false imprisonment.
Six other defendants in the case, including Asaram’s wife and daughter, were acquitted due to insufficient evidence.
On Tuesday, the court ordered Asaram to pay Rs 23,000 in fine and Rs 50,000 as compensation to the victim.
The allegations of sexual abuse initially surfaced when the woman reported the guru in 2013.
She said Asaram repeatedly sexually abused her at his ashram in Motera city, where she was kept in jail for five years before she was able to escape.
Asaram’s son Narayan Sai was also sentenced to life imprisonment in 2019 for raping the woman’s younger sister.
Asaram was detained in 2013 after two of his followers accused him of raping their daughter and filed a separate complaint of sexual assault against him.
According to police, he lured the woman to his room at his ashram in Jodhpur, Rajasthan, on the pretext of “curing” her, and then sexually abused her there.
They said that the guru threatened to kill her family if she told anyone about the encounter and forced the victim to have physical relations with him.
In connection with the case, two of the guru’s aides were also convicted and sentenced to 20 years in prison.
Not only Asaram, his son is also in jail? What is the Narayan Sai case?
The city sessions court has made it mandatory for Asaram’s son Narayan Sai to be included as an accused party in the 2014 rape case against Sai for assaulting a witness.
Nine suspects have been detained in the case so far and the police have filed three separate chargesheets.
On Monday, the court of Additional Sessions Judge Robin Mogera issued a summons to Sai to appear before the court on February 13. Sai, who is accused of rape and sexual assault, is lodged in Surat’s Lajpore Central Jail.
In this instance, the rape victim’s husband had filed a report after the attack on February 28, 2014. He was also a key witness in the case. “Saini’s involvement in the incident was allegedly claimed by the victim shortly after the incident took place.
However, according to special public prosecutor P M Parmar in the case, his involvement in the case could not be traced until recently.
As stated in the court judgment, “It is clearly evident from the above evidence that the persons involved in the attack on the complainant and the person who attacked the complainant were in close contact with the alleged accused.”
“Furthermore, looking at the entire chargesheet, one objective attributable to all such accused persons is to eliminate or intimidate the witnesses who would testify against the alleged accused,” the judgment continues.
In separate cases in 2013, Sai and his father Asaram were accused of rape and sexual assault involving two female devotees, both of whom were sisters. Between 2002 and 2005, the complainant sisters were allegedly raped by the inmates when they were staying in the ashram.
Sai was convicted of rape in April 2019, while Asaram was recently convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment by a court in Gandhinagar.
According to Parmar, “A total of three witnesses were attacked in the case against Sai and Asaram in the city.” Witnesses have also been attacked in several other parts of the country.
