Court Sentences Life Imprisonment To Indian Guru Asaram In Second Rape Case

According to his attorney, on Tuesday, the Indian court sentences life imprisonment to Indian Guru Asaram for rape and sodomy. In his ashram in the western Indian state of Gujarat, Asaram was found guilty of abusing the lady on many occasions between 2001 and 2006.

The 81-year-old was found guilty of raping a 16-year-old girl in 2018, and he is presently receiving a life term. C.B. Gupta, Asaram's attorney, told CNN that the court in the western state of Gujarat also ordered his client to pay 50,000 rupees (about $600) in compensation to the victim.

Who Is Asaram?

COPYRIGHT_SZ: Published on https://stationzilla.com/court-sentences-life-imprisonment-to-indian-guru-asaram/ by Suleman Shah on 2023-02-02T05:42:18.022Z

Asaram, 81, is one of India's most well-known spiritual gurus, and his website describes him as a "spiritual revolutionist" and "great teacher." He is especially well-known for his instruction in yoga and meditation.

He gained notoriety in the 1970s, and his devotees affectionately refer to him as "Bapuji," which means "father." Since then, he has amassed a massive religious following, with hundreds of thousands of adherents, hundreds of religious schools spread across India, and numerous international outreach initiatives.

Asaram was born Asumal Sirumalani in the hamlet of Berani, Sindh, Pakistan, in 1941. Following the 1947 Partition, he relocated to Ahmedabad with his family. He attended school till the end of Fourth Grade before being pulled out of school to care for his dying father.

According to a documentary posted on his website, Asumal worked odd jobs in his childhood before setting off on a "spiritual adventure" to the Himalayas, where he eventually met his Guru, Lilashah Bapu.

His guru gave him the name "Asaram" and "commanded him to create his path and help others" in 1964, as the documentary said.

Asaram arrived in Ahmedabad in the 1970s and began his penance on the Sabarmati River's banks in the Motera neighborhood. He then constructed a Moksha Kutir on the riverbank.

His reputation as "Sant Asaramji Bapu" grew over time, and the "Moksha Kutir" eventually developed into a full-fledged ashram. In little under 40 years, he opened another 400 ashrams throughout India and the rest of the world.

Sexual Assault Accusations In India

His most recent conviction comes as India's record of violence has been under scrutiny. An Indian court released 11 Hindu males who had been given life sentences for the gang rape of a pregnant Muslim lady during fatal riots in 2002, angering rights organizations and campaigners, in August of last year.

In India, the government reports that there is a rape every 17 minutes on average. Supporters of change point to deeply ingrained sexist and patriarchal norms as a contributing factor in the nation of 1.3 billion people.

India is home to several ashrams, or spiritual institutions, where followers of various gurus may find refuge and study. Sexual assault allegations leveled against several of these gurus in recent years have provoked brawls.

Clashes between Asaram's fans and police broke out in various major cities after his arrest in 2013 on the first rape accusation.

As of this year, Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh, the leader of the Dera Sacha Sauda spiritual sect, is serving a life sentence for the 2002 murder of a journalist who exposed sexual abuse of women inside the sect. For raping two of his devotees, the guru was already serving a life term.

36 people were killed and hundreds wounded in rioting after the first judgement against Singth.

Sexual Abuse Allegations Against Asaram

Allegations of sexual assault against the guru were first made public in 2013 by a female member of the public. During her five years of captivity at Asaram's ashram in the city of Motera, she claims she was subjected to frequent sexual assaults by Asaram.

Asaram's son Narayan Sai was also convicted of rape in 2019 and sentenced to life in prison for sexually assaulting the victim's younger sister. In 2013, two of Asaram's followers accused him of raping their daughter and filed a sexual assault charge, leading to his arrest.

It has been reported to the authorities that he sexually attacked the lady after having her come to his room at his ashram in Jodhpur, Rajasthan, under the guise of "curing" her.

Some witnesses said that the guru pressured the woman into having sex with him by threatening to harm her family if she informed anybody about the experience. Two of the guru's aides were also convicted guilty and given 20-year jail terms in connection with the case.

Final Words

A Gandhinagar municipal court convicted Asaram guilty of many crimes, including rape and unlawful detention, under the Indian Penal Code the day before. Six other accused, including Asaram's wife and daughter, were acquitted due to a lack of evidence.

About The Authors

Suleman Shah - Suleman Shah is a researcher and freelance writer. As a researcher, he has worked with MNS University of Agriculture, Multan (Pakistan) and Texas A & M University (USA). He regularly writes science articles and blogs for science news website immersse.com and open access publishers OA Publishing London and Scientific Times. He loves to keep himself updated on scientific developments and convert these developments into everyday language to update the readers about the developments in the scientific era. His primary research focus is Plant sciences, and he contributed to this field by publishing his research in scientific journals and presenting his work at many Conferences. Shah graduated from the University of Agriculture Faisalabad (Pakistan) and started his professional carrier with Jaffer Agro Services and later with the Agriculture Department of the Government of Pakistan. His research interest compelled and attracted him to proceed with his carrier in Plant sciences research. So, he started his Ph.D. in Soil Science at MNS University of Agriculture Multan (Pakistan). Later, he started working as a visiting scholar with Texas A&M University (USA). Shah’s experience with big Open Excess publishers like Springers, Frontiers, MDPI, etc., testified to his belief in Open Access as a barrier-removing mechanism between researchers and the readers of their research. Shah believes that Open Access is revolutionizing the publication process and benefitting research in all fields.