Mathura: A local fast track court has sentenced a occultist to 25 years imprisonment for criminally assaulting and raping a married lady in his Vrindavan-based ashram.

The additional district judge of the fast track court, Vivekanand Sharan Tripathi, has also imposed a fine of Rs 25,000; and on its non-payment the accused would have to undergo further imprisonment of 27 months, additional district counsel Praveen Kumar Singh said.

The case was transferred from the District Judge's court to this court and was decided in a duration of four months, the official said.

To get rid of her persistent stomach pain, a lady from Hathras had reached the accused's ashram in Vrindavan with her husband and four-year-old daughter in July last year.

She was told by a disciple of the accused tantrik (occultist) to stay in a room on the second floor as the treatment of evil forces would start at 10pm, Singh said narrating the victim's complaint.

At 10pm, the woman's husband was given a kindled earthen lamp with the instruction that he would take it down stairs and return only after the lamp was extinguished.

The accused, Baba Dwarkadas, molested the victim and despite her protestations, raped her, according to the complaint. The victim was told it was part of an exercise to eliminate the impact of evil forces, Singh said.

Next morning, she was again raped in the name of 'Nibu exercise' when her husband was asleep. The accused warned her to keep quiet or else her family would be eliminated, Singh said.

The couple left for Hathras, the following day, where the victim summoned courage and disclosed her ordeal to her husband, Singh said.

The couple came to Vrindavan and lodged an FIR against Baba Dwarkadas on July 22 last year, he said.

During the trial, the victim at the final stage said the rape was committed by some other person, Singh added.

However, on the basis of of evidence produced by police, statement of doctor and her earlier statement, the Tantrik was awarded 20-year rigorous imprisonment under section 376 (pertaining to rape) of the IPC, a Rs 20,000 fine and 18 months further imprisonment on failure to pay fine.

In addition, he was also awarded four year rigorous imprisonment under section 506 (intimidation) of the IPC, Rs four thousand fine and six month further imprisonment on default of payment of fine. The occultist was sentenced to rigorous imprisonment of one year under section 417 (cheating) of the IPC with Rs one thousand fine and three months further imprisonment on non-payment of fine, Singh said adding the sentences would run one after the other.