Asaram sentenced to life imprisonment on charges of rape, unnatural sex
A Gandhinagar trial court on Tuesday sentenced self-proclaimed godman Ashumal Harpalani alias Asaram Bapu to life imprisonment on charges of rape and unnatural sex, a day after the court found him guilty of the offences. As for the quantum of sentence, the prosecution demanded that Asaram be given the maximum sentence of life imprisonment and also cited his April 2017 conviction and life sentence by a Jodhpur court to show that he is a habitual offender.
The court also ordered the accused to pay Rs 50,000 to the complainant as compensation as demanded by the prosecution, said Special Public Prosecutor (SPP) in the case R C Kodekar.
Sessions Court Judge D K Soni found Asaram guilty under Sections 376 (2) (c) of the Indian Penal Code (being a member of the management or staff of a place of detention established or under any law for the time being in force or a women’s or children’s institution takes advantage of his official position and rapes any inmates of such a place) and 377 (unnatural sex). The court sentenced Asaram to life imprisonment for the two offenses and imposed a fine of Rs 10,000 on each of them, Kodekar said.
Kodekar said the court took into account the prosecution’s argument that “the offenses are not just crimes against women but crimes against society which have resulted in women not feeling safe in society”.
The court acquitted five other accused of all charges, including Asaram’s wife Laxmi Harpalani, Nirmalaben Lalwani, Miraben Kalvani, Dhruvben Balani and Jashvantiben Chaudhary.
The case dates back to 2013 when an FIR was lodged at the Chandkheda police station in the then Gandhinagar jurisdiction. A 33-year-old woman filed a complaint that she was raped by Asaram in 2001 and was frequently harassed and sexually assaulted by him in connivance with his ashram managers. The woman said that she and her father were followers of Asaram. She said she was afraid to file a complaint because of Asaram’s influential position and plucked up the courage years later in 2013 when a minor filed a complaint in Jodhpur alleging sexual assault and harassment by Asaram. In the case of the complainant, her sister was also victimized by Asaram
