Shahjahanpur (UP), Dec 1 (PTI) The father of a rape survivor has moved the Supreme Court seeking cancellation of the six-month bail granted to self-styled godman and rape convict Asaram by the Gujarat High Court.
Asaram (84) was first arrested in 2013 after a 16-year-old girl from Shahjahanpur accused him of sexual assault at his ashram in Jodhpur, Rajasthan.
Convicted in 2018 under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, Asaram was sentenced to life imprisonment. His latest conviction in Gujarat in 2023 resulted in another life sentence.
The 2013 rape survivor’s father claimed on Monday that he was feeling scared and receiving threats ever since Asaram was granted bail.
He also alleged that Asaram was not ill, as claimed, and was conducting ‘satsang’ at his Ahmedabad ashram, instigating his followers against “us”.
“Therefore, we have filed an appeal in the Supreme Court through our lawyers to cancel Asaram’s bail because earlier he used to get people shot, now he is eliminating people from the roots.
“We have examples in Bhola Nand, Rahul Sachan and Suresh Nand, who have not been found to date,” the rape survivor’s father said.
He also said that as long as Asaram was lodged in jail, he and his family felt safe, but now that he is out on bail, he is living constantly in fear despite the Shahjahanpur police providing him with adequate security.
Superintendent of Police (SP) Rajesh Dwivedi told PTI on Monday that they are in constant contact with the victim’s family.
CCTV cameras have been installed on the roads outside the victim’s residence to monitor activities and identify visitors, while a guard and two gunmen have been deputed to ensure the family’s safety, the SP said.
The family has also been told to inform the local police before going out, and “our officers are monitoring the security situation periodically”, he said.
The Gujarat High Court on November 6 granted six-month bail to Asaram in the 2013 rape case.
A division bench of Justices Ilesh Vora and R T Vachhani granted Asaram temporary bail to facilitate his medical treatment, nearly a week after the Rajasthan High Court passed a similar order.
The court stated orally that it was granting Asaram bail for six months on the same ground on which he was granted bail by the Rajasthan High Court. PTI COR NAV ARI
This report is auto-generated from PTI news service. ThePrint holds no responsibility for its content.