Asaram bapu news

A court in Gujarat’s Gandhinagar on Tuesday sentenced self-styled godman Asaram Bapu, convicted in a rape case filed by a former woman disciple in 2013, to life imprisonment. It noted that the victim was younger than his daughter when she was sexually abused and termed it a “very serious crime" against the society that should be punished “to the fullest extent" to prevent the exploitation of religious people. Sessions court judge D K Soni pronounced the ruling after hearing the arguments on the quantum of the sentence. The court also observed Asaram doesn’t deserve sympathy given the nature of the crime and that the defence on the ground of his old age and bad health cannot be considered valid. “To prevent exploitation of religious people of the society, the perpetrators of such a heinous crime cannot be spared and should be punished to the fullest extent as prescribed by law," the judge said in the order. The prosecution had submitted before the court that Asaram should get the strictest punishment for the way he kept the victim captive, raped and sodomised her and forced her to remain confined in the ashram. “The court on Tuesday sentenced Asaram Bapu to life imprisonment under sections 376 (2)(C) for rape and 377 (Unnatural offences) of the Indian Penal Code. He was also ordered to pay Rs 50,000 towards the compensation to the victim. In the remaining sections, he was sentenced to one year in jail under each count and slapped with a nominal fine," said special public pr...

Self-styled godman Asaram Bapu was today sentenced to life-long jail term by a special SC/ST court here for raping a minor nearly five years ago. This is the second case of a powerful spiritual leader being convicted of a sexual offence in less than a year after Gurmeet Ram Rahim last August. The godman’s two other accomplices, Sharad and Shilpi, were sentenced to 20 years each in jail in the case while remaining two co-accused Shiva and Prakash were acquitted. Additional Sessions Judge Madhusudan Sharma, heading the special SC/ST court sentenced the trio after convicting them of various offences under the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and the Protection of Children from Sexual Offenses Act (POCSO), in a proceeding held in a specially-convened court inside Jodhpur Central Jail premises. Special judge Madhusudan Sharma’s verdict, which comes as the debate over sexual violence, particularly the rape of minors, intensifies across the country, was read out in the Jodhpur Central Jail where 77-year-old Asaram has been kept for over four years. The verdict was delivered by Special Judge Sharma in a especially-convened courtroom inside the Jodhpur Central Jail premises as per the directions of the Rajasthan High Court in view of the possible threat to law and order by Asaram’s supporters following his conviction and sentencing. “Asaram was given life-long jail term, while his accomplices Sharad and Shilpi were sentenced to 20 years in jail by the court,” Public Prosecutor Pokar Ram Bis...

• • • Asaram, Gurmeet Ram Rahim, Nithyananda and more: The 'godmen' who faced criminal cases Asaram, Gurmeet Ram Rahim, Nithyananda and more: The ‘godmen’ who faced criminal cases There is a history of 'godmen' in the country who have become centres of controversies over allegations, and sometimes convictions, of sexual abuse or rape cases, There is a history of ‘godmen’ in the country who have become centres of controversies over allegations, and sometimes convictions, of sexual abuse or rape cases. Self-styled godman Asaram Bapu was on Wednesday convicted of raping a 16-year-old school girl from Uttar Pradesh at his Jodhpur ashram in 2013. The girl was reportedly brought to Asaram on the pretext of curing her of “evil spirits”. Asaram has been also been named in another rape case in which two sisters from Gujarat have accused him and his son, Narayan Sai, of sexually assaulting them. There is a history of ‘godmen’ in the country who have become centres of controversies over allegations, and sometimes convictions, of murder, sexual abuse or rape cases. Here is a list of such offenders: Asaram Bapu Asaram Bapu (Files) Convicted on Friday in the 2013 case of a minor’s rape, Asaram Bapu, who has often called himself a “bhagwan”, faces rape charges in another case where two sisters from Gujarat have claimed that Asaram and his son Narayan Sai sexually assaulted them on many occassions and confined them illegally between 2001 and 2006 at one of their ashrams. Follow LIVE Updat...