Asaram moves HC to suspend life sentence

Self-styled godman Asaram Bapu, convicted of sexually assaulting a minor, on Wednesday moved the Rajasthan high court seeking suspension of the life sentence awarded to him by the special court in Jodhpur.

- Dinesh Bothra

JODHPUR:

This comes a day after the Supreme Court granted him interim bail until March 31 in a separate rape case in Gujarat, where he had been convicted.

Asaram is currently serving a life sentence at Jodhpur Central Jail and was recently re-admitted to prison after undergoing Ayurvedic treatment.

The Jodhpur case dates back to August 2013, when a minor accused Asaram of raping her at his ashram in Manai village near Jodhpur.

Asaram was arrested on August 31, 2013, and has been lodged in Jodhpur Central Jail since then.

In November 2013, the Jodhpur police filed a charge sheet against Asaram and four co-accused.

In April 2018, the special court under the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act awarded him life imprisonment till death.