AIDWA welcomes the verdict of the Jodhpur Court delivered on April 25th 2018, convicting Asaram of rape, and sentencing him to a lifetime in prison. It is noteworthy that the trial court found him guilty on many counts, including the heinous crime of having raped a minor in his ashram, and awarded the maximum punishment available under the POCSO Act. Two other accused have received sentences of 20 years each.
The verdict comes at the end of a long drawn out fight for justice by the survivor and her family. Over the past six years since the 16 year old girl filed the case against the self styled godman in August 2013, she and her family members have been subjected to threats, and coercion of every kind. The girl has been forced to live with police protection, fearing for her life. Asaram applied for bail 12 times, but it was rejected. Witnesses in the case have been attacked, and one of them was killed, in a coldblooded attempt to intimidate the complainant. AIDWA lauds the determination and courage displayed by the girl and her family, despite the trauma and suffering that they have undergone.
The sexual exploitation of a young girl in an ashram under the garb of religion is an appalling crime which must meet with the most stringent punishment. It is necessary that the sentence of life imprisonment on Asaram pronounced by the judge be carried out diligently. This should send out a message to other fake swamis and charalatans that sexual crimes against women under their guardianship will not be condoned. Preventive steps should be undertaken by the Government, so that women and girls entering religious places trustingly do not become victims of sexual exploitation and violence.
AIDWA demands that the survivor and her family continue to receive protection, as Asaram supporters are still accusing them of a conspiracy. At the same time, efforts should be taken to ensure that the survivor is rehabilitated in a manner which will permit her to return to a life of normalcy.
