Asaram Found Guilty in Rape Case: Sequence of Events in The Sexual Assault Case in Which Self-Styled Godman is Convicted

Asaram was convicted by the court of raping a teenager at his ashram in 2013.

Jodhpur, Apr 25: An SC/ST court on Wednesday found self-styled guru Asaram Bapu guilty in a rape case. The verdict was delivered on premises of Jodhpur central jail, where Asaram is lodged. The quantum of punishment hasn’t been announced by the court. Asaram was convicted by the court of raping a teenager at his ashram near here in 2013. According to reports, two other co-accused – Shipi and Sharatchandra – in the case were also convicted. Two other co-accused – Prakash and Shiva – have been acquitted.

Asaram Bapu was arrested on August 31 in 2013. He was charged under relevant sections of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act and the Scheduled Castes and Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act after a teenage girl had alleged that she was sexually assaulted by Asaram during her stay at his ashram in Mani village. The girl, who belonged to Shahjahanpur in Uttar Pradesh, was a student living in the ashram.

• The alleged incident of sexual assault took place on August 15, 2013.
• On August 20, parents of the victim filed a complaint in Delhi and later the case was transferred to Jodhpur police.
• On August 23, supporters of Asaram Bapu attacked Kamla Market police station in Delhi.
• Five days later, victim’s father demanded death for Asaram Bapu, while godman’s son describes the minor as mentally unstable.
• On August 29, Asaram Bapu indirectly alleged that he was being targeted by the then Congress president Sonia Gandhi and her son Rahul.
• While Asaram was evading arrest, his son said that his father is not hiding and would surrender once he recovers from trigeminal neuralgia.
• On August 31, Jodhpur police arrested Asaram, who was later sent to jail by a court. His supporters created a ruckus outside court against the order.
• In November 2013, the Jodhpur police filed chargesheet against Asaram Bapu and four co-accused in the rape case.
• In early 2014, the trial for the Jodhpur case began.
• During one of the hearing, his defence lawyer, Ram Jethmalani, had made an absurd argument and said that the victim had a chronic disease “which draws a woman to a man.
• In February 2015, Rahul K Sachan, a witness in the case was stabbed outside the local court. He was supposed to give his statement.
• On July 8 in 2015, a witness, Sudha Pathank turned hostile and told the court that she had no knowledge about Asaram’s activities.
• Four days later, a key witness, Kripal Singh was shot at by two motorcycle-borne people in Shahjahanpur.
• The final arguments in the case were completed in the court of SC/ST Cases Special Judge Madhu Sudan Sharma on April 7 this year.
• Asaram found guilty on April 25, 2018.

Several clashes have been reported between the police and Asaram Bapu‘s supporters since his arrest. To prevent a Panchkula-type situation where Baba Ram Rahim’s followers went on a rampage following his conviction in a rape case, the court of special judge SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, Jodhpur will conduct proceedings for pronouncement of judgment in the case on the jail premises on the fixed date of April 25.