Asaram, Two Others Convicted By Jodhpur Court In 2013 Rape Case

Asaram and two other accused have been convicted by the Jodhpur Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe Court in the 2013 rape case, Times of India has reported. Two of the total five accuse were acquitted.

The self-styled godman was accused of sexually exploiting a 16-year-old girl from Uttar Pradesh’s Shahjahanpur in his ashram near Jodhpur. The chargesheet had named Asaram and four others — Sanchita alias Shilpi, Sharad Chandra alias Sharat Chandra, Prakash and Shiva alias Sava Ram Hethvadiya. Asaram has been charged under sections of the POCSO Act and Juvenile Justice Act.

Asaram, who has been in jail since 31 August 2013, had unsuccessfully moved 12 bail applications. Of these, six were rejected by the trial court, three by the Rajasthan High Court and three by the Supreme Court.

A courtroom has been set up inside the Jodhpur Jail for pronouncement of the verdict due to the fear of adverse reactions from Asaram's followers.

To ensure there’s no repeat of the kind of chaos that followed the conviction of Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh, Jodhpur was turned into a fortress on Tuesday with the administration putting in place stringent security measures and prohibitory orders. The Centre had asked Rajasthan, Gujarat and Haryana governments to deploy additional forces to maintain law and order.

"Asaram is convicted, we have got justice. I want to thank everyone who supported us in this fight. Now I hope he will get strict punishment," said the father of the rape survivor after the court delivered its verdict in the case.

"We will discuss with our legal team and then decide our future course of action. We have confidence in our judiciary," Asaram’s spokesperson Neelam Dubey said.