Ajit Karn
Asaram Bapu Rape Case
Tuesday, the Gandhinagar sessions court in Gujarat sentenced self-proclaimed godman Asaram Bapu to life imprisonment in connection with a 2013 rape case. Approximately ten years ago, a woman from Surat alleged that Asaram regularly raped her when she was staying at his ashram at Motera, Ahmedabad.
This is the second time Asaram Bapu has been convicted and sentenced for sexual assault. The self-proclaimed godman is already incarcerated in a Jodhpur prison after a Rajasthan court found him guilty of sexual assault in a separate case in 2018.
After Asaram Bapu was imprisoned for raping the girl in Rajasthan in 2013, two women from Surat accused the self-proclaimed godman and his son Narayan Sai of sexual exploitation.
During her residence at Asaram’s ashram in Ahmedabad from 1997 until 2006, the older sister accused him of sexual assault.
The younger sister accused Narayan Sai of sexual abuse while she resided at Asaram’s ashram in the Jahangirpura neighbourhood of Surat from 2002 to 2005.
In 2019, a judge condemned Narayan Sai to life in prison after finding him guilty of raping the younger sister. In 2013, he was apprehended following a nationwide manhunt.
WHAT’S the case?
The lady who brought the lawsuit against Asaram claimed she was held captive and raped by the self-proclaimed godman in his ashram for several years. The case was initially reported in 2013.
Throughout the course of the investigation, 68 witnesses were interviewed. Divya Ravia, the investigative officer in this case, received multiple death threats during the investigation.
Eight individuals were accused in connection with the case, and one of them became an approver asaram bapu rape case.
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On Monday, the court in Gandhinagar convicted Asaram bapu of rape and exonerated the other defendants in the case. The Gandhinagar court cleared Asaram’s wife Lakshmi, daughter Bharati, and four female followers Dhruvben, Nirmala, Jassi, and Meera of all charges in the asaram bapu rape case.
