Asaram accused of rape, trafficking in chargesheet
7 Nov 2013 12:55 AM GMT
The chargesheet accuses Asaram of rape and trafficking, besides invoking a stringent law on sexual crimes against children that could entail a life-term if charges are proved.
The police say they can prove that the teen complainant was tricked into Asaram’s ashram as part of a plan that involved his aides, from the warden of the hostel in Chhindwara where the girl stayed, to Asaram’s right hand man Shiva and even his cook.
The 1,300-page charge-sheet gives details of how the warden had another inmate ‘act possessed’ to convince the girl, who had been unwell, that she had to go to the godman for help. Over 140 witnesses have been listed in the chargesheet.
The teenager had alleged that Asaram called her to his ashram near Jodhpur on 15 August, ostensibly to exorcise ‘evil spirits’ and attacked her, as her parents waited outside. The Jodhpur trial court today extended the 75-year-old guru’s custody till 16 November.
Asaram, who runs 400 ashrams across India, has been in jail since his arrest in September.
The police say they can prove that the teen complainant was tricked into Asaram’s ashram as part of a plan that involved his aides, from the warden of the hostel in Chhindwara where the girl stayed, to Asaram’s right hand man Shiva and even his cook.
The 1,300-page charge-sheet gives details of how the warden had another inmate ‘act possessed’ to convince the girl, who had been unwell, that she had to go to the godman for help. Over 140 witnesses have been listed in the chargesheet.
The teenager had alleged that Asaram called her to his ashram near Jodhpur on 15 August, ostensibly to exorcise ‘evil spirits’ and attacked her, as her parents waited outside. The Jodhpur trial court today extended the 75-year-old guru’s custody till 16 November.
Asaram, who runs 400 ashrams across India, has been in jail since his arrest in September.
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