A special court in Jodhpur has sentenced disgraced “godman” Asaramr to life imprisonment till death for raping a teenage girl at his ashram. Special judge Mashusudan Sharma read out a 453-page judgment in the Jodhpur Central Jail, where the 77-year old self-proclaimed godman has been lodged since his arrest. He said, “In my humble opinion, Asaram not only broke faith of the complainant but also spoiled the image of saints among common men.” The police chargesheet against Asaram and four others was filed on November 6, 2013, under various Sections of the POCSO (Protection of Children from Sexual Offences) Act, the Juvenile Justice Act and the Indian Penal Code.
The victim, in her complaint, had written that Asaram had called her to his ashram in Manai area near Jodhpur and raped her on the night of August 15, 2013. The two other accused are Shilpi, hotel warden of Asaram's gurukul in Chhindwara (MP) where the survivor and her brother studied, and Sharad, manager of the gurukul. The court however acquitted two others, Shiva, a staffer at the ashram and Prakash, Asaram's cook.
Judge Sharma noted that the man is considered a saint and has lakhs of followers not only in the country but also overseas and runs about 400 ashrams. He added that the rape survivor's father was a disciple of Asaram and contributed towards the construction of his ashram at Shahjahanpur in Uttar Pradesh. “Asaram separated the girl from her parents under the guise of performing prayers and sexually exploited her after calling her to his room.” Father of the rape survivor said, “Asaram is convicted, we have got justice. I want to thank everyone who supported us in this fight. Now I hope we will get strict punishment.”
Jodhpur police imposed Section 144 in the city ahead of the verdict, to prevent violence breaking out in case his followers were unhappy with the verdict. Asaram is also embroiled in a rape case in Gujarat, where two Surat-based sisters had lodged separate complaints against Asaram and his son Narayan Sai, accusing them of rape and illegal confinement among other charges. A special courtroom was set up inside the prison for pronouncement of the verdict due to security reasons.
