Jodhpur: The Jodhpur Schedule Caste and Schedule Tribe Court on Wednesday sentenced self-styled godman Asaram Bapu to life imprisonment till death for raping a minor girl in 2013.
The two other people convicted in the rape got twenty years each in prison. The judgment in the case was pronounced inside Jodhpur Central Jail.
Asaram, who has been languishing in jail since August 31, 2013, was accused of sexual assaulting a 16-year-old girl at his ashram in Manai village near Jodhpur.
The five charges levelled against him were, raping minor girl, wrongful confinement, criminal intimidation, criminal conspiracy and sexual harassment.
The girl was reportedly brought to Asaram’s ashram for treatment after she fainted one day at her school.
A day ahead of the judgement, adequate security arrangements were put into place outside the victim’s residence. Security forces also conducted a flag march in Jodhpur.
Rajasthan, Gujarat and Haryana – the three states with large following of Asaram – were asked by the Centre to beef up security ahead of the judgment.
