A Jodhpur special court has convicted self-styled godman Asaram Bapu and two others of raping a 16-year-old girl in 2013.
Possibly taking cue from the Haryana mayhem during Gurmeet Ram Rahim’s verdict, the Rajasthan Police had imposed section 144 in the city and deployed heavy security cover.
Asaram was accused of raping the minor girl in his ashram near Jodhpur on the night of August 15-16 in 2013. Five days later, the survivor lodged a police complaint and Asaram was arrested on September 2. The chargesheet filed by the police on November 6, 2013, named five accused – Asaram and four others, Sanchita alias Shilpi, Sharad Chandra alias Sharat Chandra, Prakash and Shiva alias Sava Ram Hethvadiya. They were booked under sections of IPC including the POCSO Act and Juvenile Justice Act.
Over the course of the trial, several key witnesses feared for their lives and three were killed. Asaram moved 12 bail application and all were rejected by the courts.
On Wednesday, the verdict was delivered by Special Judge Madhusudhan Sharma in a makeshift court at the Jodhpur Central Jail. Asaram was lodged in the jail since 2013. Accused Shiva and Prakash were acquitted.
The father of the victim was quoted as saying by news agency ANI, “Asaram is convicted, we have got justice. I want to thank everyone who supported us in this fight. Now I hope he will get strict punishment. I also hope the witnesses who were murdered or kidnapped get justice.”
Meanwhile, Asaram’s spokesperson Neelam Dubey said, “We will discuss with our legal team and then decide our future course of action. We have confidence in our judiciary.”
Asaram had enjoyed the company of political leaders across party lines. After his conviction, however, politicians have already started taking a dig at such self-styled godmen. Congress leader and former Rajasthan chief minister Ashok Gehlot said, “The time has come when people should be able to differentiate between actual saints and the frauds, as this creates a bad image of the country in the international arena.”