Jodhpur, Apr. 25 (Agencies): Self-proclaimed godman Asaram Bapu, 77, was on Wednesday held guilty by a court here on charges of raping a minor girl from Uttar Pradesh in 2013.
Judge Madhu Sudan Sharma of the Special court handling SC/ST cases, proclaimed the verdict amid unprecedented security, with police having cleared out his ashram here, and enforcing orders that ban the assembly of more than five persons.
Two sisters from Gujarat have also filed separate complaints that Asaram and his son Narayan Sai had confined and raped them.
The Jodhpur court had finished hearing the final arguments from both parties last month in the minor's rape case. Asaram faced charges under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act (Posco).
He was arrested on September 1, 2013, based on an FIR or first information report that invokes a host of sections from the Indian Penal Code, the Juvenile Justice Act and Posco Act.
Asaram has been in jail since his arrest. As the trial was going on, nine witnesses were said to have been attacked. Three of them died.
Asaram also has another case where two sisters from Surat, Gujarat lodged separate complaints against Asaram and his son Narayan Sai. The two sisters accused Asaram and his son of rape and illegal confinement.
The Judge also convicted two other accused Shilpi and Sharad while two others Prakash and Shiva were acquitted.
The counsels for the accused are arguing on the quantum of sentence.
According to the directions of the Rajasthan High Court, the trial court delivered its verdict in the Jodhpur Central Jail premises where Asaram has been lodged for the past over four years.
The victim had said in her complaint that Asaram called her to his ashram in Manai area near Jodhpur and raped her on the night of August 15, 2013.
The teenager from Shahajanpur in Uttar Pradesh was studying at the self-styled godman's ashram at Chhindwara in Madhya Pradesh.
Asaram unsuccessfully moved 12 bail applications, of which six were rejected by the trial court, three by the Rajasthan high court and three by the Supreme Court.
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