Life Imprisonment For Asaram Bapu In Rape Case

Jodhpur: Asaram Bapu case verdict today. Yes, a judgement in his case was delivered a few minutes ago Asaram Bapu was convicted in the rape case. Although the court had decided to pronounce the quantum of punishment later, latest reports coming in suggest that the self-styled godman has been awarded life imprisonment and the others 20 years imprisonment.

A special court in Jodhpur found Asaram Bapu guilty of raping a teenagar in 2013. Of the total five accused, three - including Asaram - were convicted, and two were acquitted.

The verdict was pronounced from Jodhpur Central Jail, where Asaram is lodged.

Special Judge (SC/ST court) Madhusudhan Sharma delivered the verdict in the Jodhpur Central jail premises.

The victim had said in her complaint that Asaram called her to his ashram in Manai area near Jodhpur and raped her on the night of August 15, 2013.

Final arguments in the case had been completed by the special court for SC/ST cases on April 7 and the court had kept the order reserved for today.

Rape Survivor's Father Welcomes Verdict: Lucknow: The father of the survivor who was raped as a teenager in 2013 by Asaram Bapu, on Wednesday welcomed a Jodhpur court's verdict convicting the self-styled godman.

Talking to reporters outside his house in Shahjahanpur in uttar Pradesh, after the court convicted Asaram Bapu of rape, the father said they had full faith in the judicial system.

However, he added that their struggles and ordeals during the period they were seeking justice tested their grit.

The survivor, who was a Class 12 student at Asaram Bapu's Chhindwara Ashram in Madhya Pradesh, was raped in August 2013.

Following complaints about her sickness while in Chhindwara, the godman had summoned the girl and her family to his ashram in Manai village on the outskirts of Jodhpur in Rajasthan.

According to the victim's complaint, she was raped for an hour by the godman on the intervening night of August 15-16, 2013.

The rape survivor's father who had lodged complaint on August 20, also thanked the media for relentlessly pursuing the matter, and the district administration for providing them security all through the judicial process.

The 77-year-old Asaram was arrested in Indore and brought to Jodhpur on September 1, 2013. He is under judicial custody since September 2, 2013.

The chargesheet against Asaram and four other co-accused Shiva, Shilpi, Sharad and Prakash was filed by the police on November 6, 2013 under various sections of the POSCO Act, Juvenile Justice Act and IPC.

Asaram is also facing a rape case in Surat in Gujarat in which the Supreme Court earlier this month gave five weeks time to the prosecution to complete the trial.

Asaram unsuccessfully moved 12 bail applications, of which six were rejected by the trial court, three by the Rajasthan high court and three by the Supreme Court.

Earlier Story

A supporter of Asaram was detained today outside the Central Jail in Jodhpur where prohibitory orders have been clamped in view of a trial court verdict in the Asaram bapu rape case against the self-styled godman. Asaram's supporter reached near the jail and tried to put a garland on his poster, but the policemen nabbed him.

The poster was put on a wall of a corridor outside the jail boundary where the family members of prisoners wait. The supporter managed to reach there despite high-security arrangements. Both the roads towards the Central jail where Asaram is lodged have been sealed and only mediapersons are allowed outside the jail.

Apprehending a threat to law and order, the Centre has asked Rajasthan, Gujarat and Haryana governments to tighten security and deploy additional forces as the three states have a large number of followers of the 77-year-old Asaram who faces a minimum term of 10 years if convicted. As per the directions of the Rajasthan High Court, the trial court will today deliver its verdict in the Jodhpur Central Jail premises where Asaram has been lodged for the past over four years.

Asaram is accused of raping a teenage girl from Shahajahanpur in Uttar Pradesh, who was studying at the godman's ashram at Chhindwara in Madhya Pradesh. Asaram has denied the rape charges. The victim had alleged that Asaram called her to his ashram in Manai area near Jodhpur and raped her on the night of August 15, 2013. Security has also been stepped up around the victim's house in Shahajahanpur.

The Union Home Ministry's advisory was sent in view of the fact that large-scale violence was witnessed in Haryana, Punjab and Chandigarh after a special court in Mohali Final arguments in the Asaram case had been completed by the special court for SC/ST cases on April 7 and the court had kept the order reserved for today.

Asaram was arrested in Indore and brought to Jodhpur on September 1, 2013. He is under judicial custody since September 2, 2013. The chargesheet against Asaram and four other co-accused Shiva, Shilpi, Sharad and Prakash was filed by the police on November 6, 2013 under various sections of the POSCO Act, Juvenile Justice Act and IPC.

If convicted, Asaram could be jailed for a minimum of 10 years or awarded a maximum life term, according to prosecution lawyers.

PTI