Against the backdrop of sentencing of self-styled godman Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh, which is scheduled for Monday afternoon, the Supreme Court has brought up an old case involving another ‘godman’, Asaram Bapu.
On Monday, the SC questioned the Gujarat government about the slow pace of trial in the rape case involving Asaram. The SC questioned why the alleged rape survivor has not been examined till now, and has asked the Gujarat government to file an affidavit in this regard.
According to the rape survivor’s statement, as per an India Today report, Asaram had sexually assaulted her between 2001 and 2006, while she was living in his ashram on the borders of Ahmedabad. The rape survivor’s sister has allegedly filed a complaint of a similar nature against the godman’s son Narayan Sai.
Asaram, who was booked under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act (POCSO) for allegedly raping a minor girl in his ashram in Jodhpur in 2013, is currently housed at the Rajasthan town’s central jail.
(More details awaited.)
(With inputs from PTI, India Today)
(#TalkingStalking: Have you ever been stalked? Share your experience with The Quint and inspire others to shatter the silence surrounding stalking. Send your stories to editor@thequint.com or WhatsApp @ +919999008335)
(At The Quint, we are answerable only to our audience. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member. Because the truth is worth it.)