Another Life Term For Self-Styled Godman Asaram Bapu

Ahmedabad: A court in Gandhinagar on Tuesday sentenced self-styled godman Ashupal Harpalani alias Asaram Bapu to life imprisonment in a rape case filed by a former woman disciple.

Sessions Court Judge DK Soni, who had convicted Asaram in the 2013 sexual assault case on Monday, pronounced the ruling after hearing the arguments on the quantum of the sentence.

The court held Asaram guilty under IPC Sections 376 (2)(c) (being on the management or staff of a place of custody established by or under any law for the time being in force or of a woman’s or children’s insti­tution takes advantage of his official position and commits rape on any inmate of such place), 377 (unnatural sex), 342 (wrongful confinement), 506(2) (criminal intimidation), 354 (assault with intent to outrage modesty of woman), and 357 (assault to wrongfully confine a pertain).

Asaram’s wife Laxmi Harpalani, Nirmalaben Lalwani, Miraben Kalvani, Dhruvben Balani, and Jashvantiben Chaudhary, however, were acquitted due to lack of evidence.

The 81-year-old is currently lodged in a Jodhpur jail, serving life sentence in another rape case, involving a minor girl, at his ashram in Rajasthan in 2013.

THE CASE

According to the FIR lodged at Chandkheda police station in Ahmedabad in October 2013, Asaram Bapu allegedly raped the woman on several occasions between 2001 and 2006 purportedly in connivance with managers of his ashram on the outskirts of Surat. The complainant alleged that the victim and her father were Asaram’s followers. Her sister was also a victim of Asaram.

They mustered the courage to file the complaint of rape and illegal confinement against Asaram Bapu after a minor accused him of sexually assaulting and molesting her.

A chargesheet was filed in July 2014.

( With PTI inputs)