Asaram Bapu Convicted Of Rape By Gujarat Court, Awarded Life Imprisonment

Self-styled godman Asaram Bapu is currently serving life sentence in Jodhpur's Central Jail after being convicted to separate rape cases. On Tuesday, the former spiritual leader was again convicted of sexual assault by a Gujarat court and was sentenced to life imprisonment.

Ashumal Harpalani, popularly known as Asaram Bapu by his followers, was convicted of unnatural sex and rape by a Gandhinagar sessions court on December 31. The order came in response of a case filed in 2013 by a 33-year-old woman who accused that the self-styled godman had been sexually assaulting her since 2001 when she visited his asharam as a devotee along with her father. The woman had not filed a case against Asaram Bapu fearing his influential status but when a minor filed a case against him in Jodhpur in 2013, she got the courage to speak against him. The court has finally given its verdict in the case.

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Asaram Bapu Convicted Of Rape

The court was being led by Judge DK Soni who held Asaram Bapu guilty under Indian Penal Code's sections 354 (assault with intent to outrage modesty of woman), 342 (wrongful confinement), 357 (assault to wrongfully confine a person) and 506(2) (criminal intimidation). The court also found him guilty under section 377 for unnatural sex and section 376 (2)(c) for taking advantage of his position of authority at the asharam and molesting the female inmates of the asharam and penalised him of Rs. 10,000 each for both the offences. The court also ordered Asaram Bapu to pay Rs. 50,000 as compensation to the complainant.

Special Public Prosecutor (SPP), RC Kodekar, who was involved in the case reportedly said that the prosecution's argument, “the offences are not only crimes against women, but crimes against society which has resulted in women not feeling safe in the society” was considered by the court.

The prosecution has also demanded maximum life imprisonment for Asaram Bapu as he was a habitual offender and mentioned the Jodhpur minor sexual assault case of 2013 for which he was sentenced to life imprisonment in 2017. Five other accused in the case including Asaram Bapu's wife Laxmi Harpalani, Dhruvben Balani, Nirmalaben Lalwani, Jashvantiben Chaudhary and Miraben Kalvani were acquitted of all charges by the court.