A Special Court in Jodhpur on Wednesday convicted self-styled godman Asaram for raping a minor girl at his ashram in Rajasthan in 2013 and sentenced him to a prison term for life till his natural death.

The judgment was pronounced by Special Judge for Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe cases, Madhu Sudan Sharma, inside the Jodhpur Central Jail, where Asaram is lodged.

The court also awarded 20 years in jail each to Asaram’s warden Shilpi and associate Sharad.

The court, however, acquitted Asaram’s ‘sevadar’ Shiva and cook Prakash.

“Asaram has been sentenced to life imprisonment till natural death… Shilpi and Sharad have also been directed to pay Rs one lakh fine each,” defence lawyer Sushma Dhara said.

The 77-year-old godman and two others were convicted under Section 376D of the Indian Penal Code, the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (Pocso) Act and the Juvenile Justice (JJ) Act, the 474-page judgment said.

Dhara said an appeal would be filed in the Rajasthan High Court against the judgment and for Asaram’s bail.

The defence lawyer said that Asaram appeared normal in the court but became sad and worried when the court convicted him.

The police chargesheet against Asaram and four co-accused was filed on November 6, 2013, under the Pocso Act, the Juvenile Justice Act and the IPC.

Asaram is facing trial in another sexual assault case in Gujarat.

The final arguments in the case were completed in the Jodhpur court on April 7, which reserved the order for Wednesday.

Asaram was arrested in 2013 after the teenage girl from Uttar Pradesh’s Shahjahanpur, a Class 12 student at his Chhindwara Ashram in Madhya Pradesh, filed a complaint and accused him of rape at his ashram in Manai village on the Jodhpur outskirts on August 15, 2013.

Asaram was arrested from Indore and brought to Jodhpur on September 1, 2013. He is under judicial custody since September 2, 2013. He was earlier denied bail by the Supreme Court.

Apprehending threat to law and order from the followers of Asaram, high security was in place in Jodhpur, with prohibitory orders enforced in the city.

The Home Ministry on Tuesday also issued an advisory to Rajasthan, Gujarat and Haryana to step up security/ vigilance to prevent any untoward incident in the wake of court verdict.

At least nine people were injured in a clash between two groups after a few women were allegedly harassed during a marriage function at Miranpur town here, a police official said today.

According to him, the women were allegedly harassed by Imran and Amir Azam last night. Their family members confronted the accused, and a clash ensued, the official said.

The injured were rushed to a nearby hospital.

A Jodhpur trial court has on Wednesday (April 25) sentenced self-styled godman Asaram to life imprisonment after being found him guilty of raping a teenager in 2013.

Of the total five accused, three – including Asaram – were convicted, and two were acquitted.

While Asaram was sentenced to life in prison – until death – by a special SC/ST court, the two other people convicted in the rape got twenty years in prison.

The verdict and sentence were both pronounced from Jodhpur Central Jail, where Asaram is lodged. He has been in jail since August 31, 2013.

He was accused of sexual assault on a 16-year-old girl at his ashram in Manai village near Jodhpur, Rajasthan. The girl was living in the ashram as a student.

Asaram was charged under sections of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act and the Scheduled Castes and Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act.

Hindusthan Samachar/Shri Ram Shaw

(IANS) Self-styled godman Asaram Bapu was on Wednesday convicted by the Jodhpur Schedule Caste and Schedule Tribe Court for raping a minor girl in his ashram here in Rajasthan in 2013.

The judgement in the case was pronounced by SC/ST cases special judge Madhu Sudan Sharma inside the Jodhpur Central Jail, where Asaram Bapu is lodged.

He has been convicted under Section 376 of the Indian Penal Code, the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (Pocso) Act and the Juvenile Justice (JJ) Act.

The court is likely to pronounce the quantum of punishment later. The 77-year-old godman could face upto 10 years of jail.

The charge-sheet against Asaram Bapu and four other co-accused Shiva, Shilpi, Sharad and Prakash was filed by the police on November 6, 2013 under various sections of the Posco Act, Juvenile Justice Act and IPC.

Informed sources said the court also convicted Shilpi (warden of the Ashram) and Sharad while Shiva and Prakas have been acquitted in the case.

Asaram Bapu is facing trial in two sexual assault cases: one here in Rajasthan and the other in Gujarat.

The final arguments in the case were completed in the Jodhpur court by Special Judge Sharma on April 7.

Asaram Bapu was arrested in 2013 on the complaint filed by a teenage girl from Uttar Pradesh’s Shahajahanpur. She had accused him of raping her at his Jodhpur ashram in August that year.

Asaram was brought from Indore and jailed in the Jodhpur Central jail.

The victim, was a Class 12 student at his Chhindwara Ashram in Madhya Pradesh. She was raped by Asaram in his ashram during her stay in Manai village on the outskirts here.

He was earlier denied bail by the Supreme Court.

An unidentified youth died after falling from a pub, closed in the sealing drive, on the fourth floor of a building here on Tuesday, police said.

The incident in Hauz Khas village in south Delhi occurred at 12 noon and came to notice when a loud thud was heard by some passers-by, police said.

“Within few seconds, a crowd assembled at the place and found a youth lying on the road and pools of blood spread all over the place,” said an eyewitness.

The incident created a tizzy in the area which had 20 odd pubs.

The youth, who appeared to be in his mid-20s, fell from a pub called ‘Village Deck’, which, according to sources, was shut after the MCD sealing in October last year.

Some passers-by captured the incident on their mobile phones and a girl was seen approaching people to inform the Police Control Room.

“Taking the sensitivity of the place, a police team, along with Crime Branch officials, dog squad and forensic experts reached there within 15 minutes after the incident,” a police officer said.

A police team has taken CCTV footage of nearby buildings to ascertain whether the youth fell accidentally or committed suicide.

“We have found a wallet from his pocket containing cash. There was no identity card found from the deceased,” the official said.

He also added that police team recovered some injections on the top of the building as well as from the deceased’s pocket.

Police officials believe that the youth might have gone on the building to take injections of some drugs.

A woman was arrested here on Tuesday night after she confessed of killing her parents and her nine-year-old daughter by poisoning them in a gap of four months this year, police said.

Police cracked the crime after a 13-hour-long questioning of Soumya, 28.

Soumya was taken for questioning when she was convalescing at a state run hospital near here after being admitted for nausea and indigestion – incidentally the same symptoms that her parents and her elder daughter suffered before they died.

While her mother died on March 7, her father passed away on April 13, her daughter died on January 31. However, following a complaint from a relative, the body of the child was exhumed after rat poison was found in the viscera of her parents.

According to police, Soumya however denied of any role in the death of her one year old daughter in 2012.

Incidentally this incident happened in the home village of Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and it was only after his intervention did the police speeden their investigation.

The woman was separated from her husband and according to police, her motive was that her parents and child were “impediments to her wayward life”.

Five years after charges of rape were levelled against Asaram Bapu, the Jodhpur Schedule Caste and Schedule Tribe Court on Wednesday convicted the self-styled godman along with others accused in the case.

The judgement in the case for raping a minor was pronounced by Judge Madhusudan inside the Jodhpur Central Jail, where Asaram is lodged.

He has been convicted under Section 376 of the Indian Penal Code and the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (Pocso) act.

He is facing trial in two sexual assault cases: one here in Rajasthan and the other in Gujarat.

(Ians)

The girl, who suffered deep injuries in her head, face, neck, chest and private parts, was rescued from inside a school campus near her house in Jagannathpur village of Salepur.
The six-year-old girl, who was allegedly raped and strangulated in Cuttack district on Monday, has gone into a coma.
The SCB Medical College and Hospital has confirm
The girl, who suffered deep injuries in her head, face, neck, chest and private parts, was rescued from inside a school campus near her house in Jagannathpur village of Salepur. The girl is on life support system, and a team of doctors drawn from various departments are attending her round-the-clock.
Meanwhile, the accused of the same village, arrested on Monday, was produced before a local court on Tuesday and remanded in jail custody, police said

The Halasuru police have seized a vehicle carrying Rs. 2 crore unaccounted for cash on Old Madras Road on Saturday night. According to the police, the vehicle, belonging to an ATM cash management firm, was heading towards Chintamani.

The staff, on being questioned by officials, said they were heading to Chintamani to fill cash in ATMs. However, they did not have the documents to substantiate their claim, a senior police officer said. He said the vehicle and the cash have been seized and a show-cause notice issued to the firm.

In a similar operation, the Devanahalli police on Sunday morning seized Rs. 42 lakh in unaccounted for cash from a businessman travelling in a private bus.

The police intercepted the bus, which was heading to Kerala from Hyderabad, in Devanahalli and during the random check, found the bag with the cash. The businessman was from Kochi and said he was carrying the money for timber business. The police seized the cash and issued a notice asking him to provide documents on the source of money and his business dealings.

Meanwhile, the Chief Electoral Office staffs said a sum of Rs. 1.49 crore was seized across the State from Saturday night.

A five-year-old girl was raped in Bareilly district of Uttar Pradesh by a man living in her neighbourhood, police said on Monday.

The man, whose name was not immediately known, lured the girl away and committed the crime on Sunday night in Saranaia area. The girl, a Class 1 student, was admitted to a hospital, an official said.

Police said the accused was on the run. Tension prevailed in the area as residents demanded his immediate arrest.