A second, separate criminal conviction of Asaram Bapu, distinct from his 2018 Jodhpur conviction. A criminal case registered in 2013 alleged that Asaram had repeatedly raped a woman disciple from Surat between 2001 and 2006 at his ashram in Motera, near Ahmedabad. The Additional Sessions Court in Gandhinagar, Judge D.K. Soni presiding, convicted him on 30 January 2023 and sentenced him the following day to life imprisonment and a 50,000 rupee fine paid as compensation. Six co-accused, including his wife Laxmiben, their daughter, and four disciples, were acquitted of aiding and abetting for want of evidence. Asaram appealed; the Gujarat High Court refused to suspend his sentence on 31 August 2024, and his appeal against the conviction itself remains pending before that court.
Facts
Documented Findings
Accused DocumentedAsaram Bapu alone. Six co-accused, including his wife Laxmiben, their daughter, and four disciples, were charged with aiding and abetting but acquitted for want of evidence; they are not counted here. Victim EstimateThe single woman disciple from Surat named in this separate 2001 to 2006 case, distinct from the Jodhpur conviction. Key FindingThe Gandhinagar court convicted Asaram on all counted charges and imposed a second life sentence. On the later bail application, the Gujarat High Court held no exceptional grounds existed for relief, rejecting arguments based on appeal delay, age and medical condition; his appeal against the conviction itself remains pending. 2 Inquiry Profile
Kind of Record JurisdictionIndia (Motera, near Ahmedabad; tried by the Additional Sessions Court, Gandhinagar; appeal pending before the Gujarat High Court) 1 Commissioned ByAdditional Sessions Court, Gandhinagar (trial); Gujarat High Court (appeal, pending) 1 Publication Year Period Covered, From Learn More
A Second Life Sentence: Asaram Bapu's Gandhinagar Conviction
Asaram Bapu's 2018 Jodhpur conviction was not his last. A second criminal case, registered in 2013, accused him of repeatedly raping a woman disciple from Surat between 2001 and 2006, at his ashram in Motera, near Ahmedabad. She was one of two sisters who went to police that year; her sister's separate case, against Asaram's son Narayan Sai, was tried in Surat and ended in his own life sentence in 2019. Hers was tried at the Additional Sessions Court in Gandhinagar.
Judge D.K. Soni convicted Asaram on 30 January 2023 and sentenced him the following day to a second life term, along with a fine of 50,000 rupees paid to the complainant as compensation. Six co-accused stood trial alongside him on charges of aiding and abetting, including his wife Laxmiben, their daughter, and four disciples; the court acquitted all six for want of evidence. Asaram's defence said at the time that it would challenge the conviction before the Gujarat High Court.
That appeal is still pending. In August 2024, Asaram asked the High Court to suspend his sentence and release him on bail while the appeal proceeded. A bench of Justices Ilesh Vora and Vimal Vyas refused on 31 August 2024, holding that his age, his health and the delay in hearing his appeal amounted to no exceptional grounds for relief. The conviction and the life sentence stand, and, as of that ruling, his appeal against them has not yet been decided.
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This source names Gujarat directly: "Asaram appealed; the Gujarat High Court refused to suspend his sentence on 31 August 2024, and his appeal against the conviction itself remains pending before that court."
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