Daijiworld Media Network
Surat, Apr 30: A Surat court has awarded maximum life imprisonment to Narayan Sai, son of self-styled godman and rape convict Asaram Bapu on Tuesday.
In 2013, two Surat-based sisters had approached police claiming they were raped by Sai and Asaram. The younger sister claimed that she was raped multiple times between 2002 and 2005 by Narayan Sai, during her stay as a devotee in the Ashram.
The elder one filed a separate complaint that she was also raped by Asaram between 1997 and 2006. However, this case was transferred to Ahmedabad as the rape took place in Ahmedabad Ashram.
The Jahagirpura police of Surat booked a rape case against Sai as well as Ganga alias Dharmishtha, Jamna alias Bhavna, Kaushal alias Hanuman and Ramesh Malhotra for aiding the main accused.
While the court awarded life time imprisonment to Sai Narayan, it also penalized him for Rs 1 lac and Rs 5 lac compensation was awarded to the rape victim. Ganga, Jamna and Kaushal were sentenced to maximum 10 years in jail and a penalty of Rs 5,000 each.
Ganga and Jamna who were ‘shadhika’ (women devotees) had illegally confined the victim and trashed her, after Sai asked them to do so. Kaushal was accused of abetment and taking the victim to Sai’s room.
Ramesh Malhotra alias Rajkumar is Sai’s driver and was held guilty for harbouring the offender under IPC 212. He was awarded six months imprisonment.
Narayan Sai was convicted under Indian Penal Code sections 376 (rape), 377 (unnatural offences), 323 (assault), 506-2 (criminal intimidation) and 120-B (conspiracy). He was arrested from Delhi-Haryana border in December 2013.
The court had convicted him on Friday, but the quantum of punishment was announced on Tuesday.