In a recent development, Asaram Bapu, a controversial spiritual leader, has approached the Gujarat High Court, seeking a suspension of his life sentence. The sentence was handed down by a state court for the repeated rape of a female disciple. Asaram Bapu, also known as Ashumal Harpalani, has already filed an appeal against his conviction in the rape case.
In his application, submitted through his lawyer Ashish Dagli, Asaram Bapu has requested the High Court to suspend his prison sentence temporarily. He argues that his appeal might not be heard in the near future and that he stands a good chance of succeeding in the appeal.
The application further claims that the entire prosecution case against him appears to be “fake, fabricated, concocted” and an after-thought of the prosecutrix. Asaram Bapu alleges that the case is a well-planned conspiracy orchestrated by prosecution witnesses, who seem to be “dissatisfied and unhappy” with the operations of his ashram.
The plea also highlights the delay in filing the First Information Report (FIR) – 12 years after the alleged incidents – as evidence of a conspiracy by the prosecution witnesses to extort money from him.
Asaram Bapu’s plea also questions the credibility of the prosecution’s witnesses, stating that they were either expelled from the ashram due to misconduct or left the ashram with the intention of extorting money. The plea further alleges that some witnesses were ready to testify against him, even if their statements could lead to his conviction, despite never witnessing any wrongdoing at the ashram.
The application also challenges the victim’s testimony about the alleged “forceful sexual intercourse“, stating that it is “highly improbable” given the age difference between Asaram Bapu, who was 64 at the time, and the victim, who was 21.
The plea also emphasizes that Asaram Bapu, now 84 years old, is a senior citizen suffering from age-related ailments and has been in prison for a long time.
The case was listed for hearing before a division bench of Justices AY Kogje and Hasmukh Suthar, and the hearing has been adjourned until August 17.
As per the FIR lodged at Chandkheda police station in Ahmedabad, the survivor was allegedly confined by Asaram in his ashram on the outskirts of Surat city and was raped repeatedly from 2001 to 2006.
This is not the first case in which Asaram Bapu has been convicted. He is already serving a life sentence in two separate sexual offence cases and is currently lodged in a jail in Jodhpur since 2018, where he was brought from Indore following his arrest in 2013.