Gujarat court convicts Asaram Bapu in woman disciple rape case, to pronounce punishment tomorrow

A Gujarat court on Monday convicted self-styled godman Asaram Bapu in connection with a decade-old sexual assault case involving a woman disciple. Asaram was accused by a Surat-based woman of repeatedly raping her while she was at his ashram in Ahmedabad's Motera around 10 years ago. The court will pronounce the quantum of punishment in the case on Tuesday, 31 January.

As per the FIR lodged at Chandkheda police station in Ahmedabad, Asaram Bapu allegedly raped the woman on several occasions from 2001 to 2006 when she was living at his ashram, news agency PTI reported.

Asaram Bapu, who is already in jail for another sexual assault case, was charged under sections 342 (wrongful confinement), 354A (sexual harassment), 370(4) (trafficking), 376 (rape), 506 (criminal intimidation), and 120(B) (criminal conspiracy) of the Indian Penal Code.

Special public prosecutor RC Kodekar said the court has accepted the prosecution case and convicted Asaram under sections 376 2(C) (rape), 377 (unnatural offences), and other provisions of the Indian Penal Code for illegal detention, among others.

Besides the self-styled godman, his wife Lakshmi, his son Narayan Sai, his daughter Bharati, and four female followers were also accused in the case. While Asaram was convicted, other accused were acquitted by the court due to lack of evidence.

Asaram Bapu is currently lodged in a jail in Jodhpur, Rajasthan. In 2018, he was found guilty of raping a 16-year-old girl in his Jodhpur ashram in 2013. At the time, he was convicted under Section 376 of the IPC, the Protection of Children under Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, and the Juvenile Justice (JJ) Act.