Indian guru Asaram; An Indian court on Tuesday sentenced self-proclaimed spiritual guru Asaram Bapu to life in prison on rape. Sodomy charges, his lawyer said.
The sentence is the second life sentence for the octogenarian. Who is already serving a life sentence after being convict in 2018 of raping a 16-year-old girl.
Advocate Asaram, C.B. A court;
Advocate Asaram, C.B. A court in the western state of Gujarat also ordered him to pay 50,000 rupees. (about $600) in compensation to the victim, Gupta told AZ24 News.
“We can appeal the verdict to the Supreme Court,” said the lawyer.
Described on his website as a “spiritual revolutionary” and “a great teacher.” Asaram, 81, is one of India’s best-known spiritual gurus.
Known to his followers as “Bapuji” or “Father”, he rose to prominence in the 1970s. Before building a vast religious empire that includes hundreds of thousands of followers. Some 400 religious schools in India and numerous international outreach programs.
His latest conviction comes at a time when India’s poor record on violence has been highlight.
Indian court freed 11 Hindu
Indian guru Asaram; Last August, an Indian court freed 11 Hindu men sentenced to life in prison for the gang-rape of a pregnant Muslim woman during deadly riots in 2002. Angering rights groups and activists.
According to government data, a rape is report in India every 17 minutes on average. According to the activists, deeply rooted misogyny and patriarchal values in the country of 1.3 billion people are partly to blame.
Spiritual practitioners in India are able to attract millions of devotees to the religious schools known as ashrams spread across the country.
In recent years, allegations of sexual harassment against some of these gurus have sparked violent clashes.
After Asaram was arrest in 2013 on the first rape charge, clashes broke out between his supporters and the police in several major cities.
In 2019, Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh, the leader of the spiritual sect Dera Sacha Sauda, was sentenced to life in prison for the 2002 murder of a journalist who helped expose the sexual abuse of women within his group. The guru was already serving a life sentence for raping two of his followers.
After Singth’s first sentence, riots broke out, killing 36 and injuring hundreds.
