Self styled Godman Asaram, who was found guilty of raping a teenager in 2013, was sentenced to imprisonment til death by a special court in Jodhpur.
Two other co-accused in the case, also convicted on Wednesday, were given 20 years each in jail.
Earlier in the day, while pronouncing the verdict inside the Jodhpur central jail amid tight security, the court had held Asaram guilty of assaulting and outraging the modesty of a 16-year-old woman, who, at the time of the incident, was a student at one of Asaram’s ashrams in Chhindwara, Madhya Pradesh.
Asaraam sentenced to life imprisonment by Jodhpur Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe Court in a rape case. pic.twitter.com/JevsnIXquL
— ANI (@ANI) April 25, 2018
The incident allegedly took place on the night of August 15, 2013, at another Asaram ashram in Manai area near Jodhpur.
After the verdict, the rape survivor’s father said he hoped Asaram would get “strict punishment”. The self-styled godman’s downfall sees him leave behind a Rs 100-billion empire.
Rest of the two accused Shilpi & Sharad sentenced to 20 years each in jail by Jodhpur Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe Court in a rape case. #AsaramCaseVerdict
— ANI (@ANI) April 25, 2018
After his conviction the father of the victim had said, “Asaram is convicted, we have got justice. I want to thank everyone who supported us in this fight. Now I hope he will get strict punishment.”
The Opposition Congress had said after the verdict that people would be able to differentiate between fraud and actual saints.
