INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
five years after rape charges were levelled against self-styled godman, Asaram Bapu, the Jodhpur Schedule Caste and Schedule Tribe Court is
set to pronounce its verdict today
77-year-old Asaram - who runs 400 ashrams across India - was investigated in two separate cases - one from Rajasthan and the other from
Gujarat.In the case registered in Rajasthan, a 16-year-old girl from Shahajahanpur of Uttar Pradesh had accused Asaram of raping her at his
ashram in Manai village near Jodhpur on the night of August 15, 2013, while in Gujarat, two Surat-based sisters lodged separate complaints
against the self-styled godman and his son Narayan Sai, accusing them of rape.Ahead of the pronouncement of the verdict in the alleged
Shahajahanpur rape case, heavy security has been put in place in Jodhpur
Here are the developments in Asaram case so far:August 2013:Asaram was taken into police custody in August 2013, following which he was
taken to Jodhpur Central jail
A month later, a potency test was conducted on him and was produced before a Jodhpur court
While the self-styled godman has filed a number of bail petitions, a total of 12 applications were rejected by the trial court, the
Rajasthan High Court, and the Supreme Court.In November the same year, the charge-sheet filed against Asaram and four others had indicated
blackmail in exchange of sexual favours, after which the former was booked under Sections 342, 376, 506 and 509 of the Indian Penal Code,
and Section 8 of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act (POCSO).2014-2015In the years that followed, a number of the key
witnesses in the case were attacked or went missing.Asaram's doctor Amrut Prajapat was shot in Gujarat's Rajkot in June 2014
His cook Akhil Gupta and another key witness, Kripal Singh, were shot dead in 2015 in Uttar Pradesh
Mahendra Chawala and Rahul Sachan, two other witnesses, were attacked on the premises of the Jodhpur court in 2015
They survived and went ahead to depose against Asaram.Ahead of verdict in 2018:Asaram has thousands of followers across India with extensive
money and muscle power.Ahead of the pronouncement of the verdict in the alleged rape case in Shahajahanpur, security has been beefed up in
Rajasthan, Gujarat and Haryana
The judgement in the case will be pronounced inside the Jodhpur Central Jail, fearing possible communal violence similar to that in
Panchkula following the conviction of controversial godman Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh in a rape case.The Jodhpur Court also dismissed a
petition seeking entry of media persons in Central Jail of Jodhpur for the coverage of the judgement.Section 144 of the Code of Criminal
Procedure (CrPC) will be imposed in Jodhpur till April 30.(With Inputs From ANI)
