Jodhpur: The Rajasthan High Court on Wednesday, May 27, granted partial relief to self-styled godman Asaram, acquitting him of charges of gang rape and gang penetrative sexual assault of a minor, while upholding his conviction for rape of a minor, which carries a life sentence.
A division bench comprising Justice Arun Monga and Justice Yogendra Kumar Purohit acquitted Asaram of offences under IPC Section 376(D) and Sections 5(G)/6 of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act. The court also discharged him from charges under Section 120(B) of the Indian Penal Code relating to criminal conspiracy.
However, the bench upheld his conviction under IPC Section 376(2)(F), concerning the rape of a minor, thereby sustaining the life imprisonment awarded by the trial court.
The High Court directed Asaram to surrender, noting that he is currently out on temporary bail, which had been extended by seven days on Monday.
The court also upheld convictions under multiple other provisions, including Sections 342 (wrongful confinement), 370(4) (trafficking), 506 (criminal intimidation), 509 (insulting the modesty of a woman), and 354(A) (sexual harassment) of the IPC, along with Sections 7/8 of the POCSO Act and Section 23 of the Juvenile Justice Act. The bench further confirmed his conviction under IPC Section 376 and Section 34 of the POCSO Act.
Meanwhile, co-accused Sanchita Gupta alias Shilpi and Sharat Chandra were acquitted. They had earlier been convicted under Sections 370(4) read with 120(B) and Section 370(D), respectively.
The bench had reserved its judgment on April 20 after hearing appeals filed by Asaram and the co-accused. Before pronouncing the verdict, the court reportedly remarked that it had a “mixed bag” of good and bad news for the accused, asking which part they wished to hear first.
Asaram was originally convicted on April 25, 2018, for sexually assaulting a minor student at his ashram and was sentenced to life imprisonment under multiple provisions of the IPC, POCSO Act, and Juvenile Justice Act.
With PTI inputs