Court provides copy of rape case charge sheet to Asaram

Gandhinagar (Guj): A magistrate’s court here today provided a copy of the charge sheet to Asaram in a rape case filed against the self-styled godman by one of the two Surat based sisters, accusing him of rape, illegal confinement and conspiracy. Chief Judicial Magistrate J B Parikh accepted the accused’s application and provided them with a copy of the charge sheet along with the statement of the witness. [caption id=“attachment_1342725” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  Asaram Bapu. PTI image[/caption] The charge sheet has charged Asaram with violating Section 376 (rape), Section 377 (unnatural sex), Section 342 (wrongful confinment), Section 120 B (criminal conspiracy) and Section 201 (causing disappearance of evidence of offence) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), among other charges. The 1,000-page charge sheet said Asaram had not only raped the woman but also subjected her to oral sex. As per the charge sheet, between 2001 and 2007 (years of stay of the victim), she was repeatedly sexually abused by Asaram with the help of other accused in the case. Those named in the charge sheet apart from Asaram, are his wife Lakshmi, daughter Bharti and four women followers Dhruvben, Nirmala, Jassi and Meera who have been charged with abetment, illegal confinement and conspiracy. Meanwhile, the advocate for the accused demanded Asaram should be provided a chartered flight to bring him here from Jodhpur jail. The court has scheduled the hearing on the application on January 29. The two Surat-based sisters had spoken out about their sexual exploitation at the hands of Asaram and his son Narayan Sai after the godman was arrested in the first case. The Surat police had on October 6 last year registered complaints filed by two sisters – one against Asaram and the other against Narayan Sai – of rape, sexual assault, illegal confinement and other charges. The complaint against Asaram was transferred to Chandkheda police station in Ahmedabad since the incident had taken place in that ashram. The elder of the two sisters, in her complaint, had accused Asaram of sexual assault between 1997 and 2006 during the time she had lived in his Ashram on the outskirts of Ahmedabad city. The younger sister had filed a complaint against Sai, accusing him of repeated sexual assault between 2002 and 2005 when she lived in their Surat ashram. Asaram is now lodged in that jail while Narayan Sai has been arrested by the Surat police and is now in judicial custody. PTI