Gujarat HC admits Asaram’s son’s appeal against rape sentence

Ahmedabad, September 17

The Gujarat High Court on Tuesday admitted an appeal filed by Narayan Sai, son of jailed self-styled godman Asaram Bapu, against a life sentence handed down to him by a Surat sessions court in a 2013 rape case.

A Division Bench of Justices Harsha Devani and Viresh Mevani admitted his appeal after condoning the delay in filing the same.

Sai was convicted by additional sessions court in Surat on April 30, 2013 under IPC Sections 376 (rape), 377 (unnatural offences), 323 (assault), 506-2 (criminal intimidation) and 120-B (conspiracy) and was sentenced to life imprisonment.

A woman had accused Sai of raping her when she lived at Asaram’s ashram in Surat between 2002 and 2005, following which Sai was held from the Delhi-Haryana border in December, 2013. — PTI