Jodhpur: Self-styled godman Asaram was on Wednesday convicted by a Jodhpur court in a 2013 rape case. The court is expected to pronounce the quantum of punishment soon. The proceedings took place at a makeshift court in Jodhpur jail.
Special Judge (SC/ST court) Madhusudhan Sharma delivered the verdict in the Jodhpur Central jail premises. All other accused in the 2013 rape case involving Asaram have also been found guilty by the Special Court in Jodhpur.
Asaram was arrested on August 31, 2013, after a teenage girl alleged that she was subjected to sexual assault by the self-styled guru when she stayed at the Ashram in Mani village. The victim was a resident of Shahjahanpur in Uttar Pradesh and was a student there.
The teenage girl was the first to level allegations against Asaram, after which two sisters from Surat alleged they were raped by him as well. 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.
“He told me he was god, I should offer myself to him and started touching me. I was told my parents and I would not live if I made a scene. He said I was on the path to success and would be made a sevika", the victim said in her testimony.
The victim's mother said, “We could not have imagined that a person whom we considered god could do this to my daughter. We are never going to have a normal life."
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, according to PTI.
Neelam Dubey, a spokesperson for Asaram, was quoted by news agency ANI as saying that they will "respect the court order" and will "move ahead within the system".
For all the latest News, Opinions and Views, download ummid.com App
Select Langauge To Read in Urdu, Hindi, Marathi or Arabic
Post Comments
| Quick links