New Delhi: A Jodhpur court on Wednesday convicted self-styled godman Asaram and four others of raping a minor girl in 2013, while sentencing Asaram to life imprisonment.

The court also sentenced two others to 20 years each in jail.

The court announced its verdict at 10.40am on Wednesday, followed by the quantum of punishment, which was announced at 2.30pm.

Persons familiar with the developments confirmed, on condition of anonymity, that Asaram will be applying for bail on Thursday. “He is also likely to file an appeal in the Rajasthan high court once the team reviews the necessary paperwork," the person said.

Asaram has been charged with raping a minor girl, wrongful confinement, criminal intimidation, criminal conspiracy and sexual harassment under the POCSO (Protection of Children from Sexual Offences) Act and the Indian Penal Code (IPC).

Asaram was arrested on a complaint filed by a minor girl from Uttar Pradesh—a student at his ashram in Madhya Pradesh’s Chhindwara—who alleged that Asaram had called her to his ashram in Manai area near Jodhpur and raped her on the night of 15 August 2013.

Asaram was arrested in Indore and brought to Jodhpur on 1 September 2013 and has been in judicial custody since then.

A chargesheet against Asaram and four other accused—Shiva, Shilpi, Sharad and Prakash—had been filed in November 2013, under various sections of the POCSO Act, Juvenile Justice Act and IPC.

The verdict was delivered amid watertight security, with entry points to Jodhpur being sealed and security at bus and train stations being stepped up.

Asaram’s ashrams in the city’s vicinity had also been cleared out. Senior government officials stated that they were not willing to take a chance in view of the arson and rioting that broke out following Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh’s rape case verdict, in Panchkula, in August last year.

Prohibitory orders will remain in force till 30 April.

“We got all measures in place and adequate arrangements have been made to ensure that there are no disruptions. Adequate number of police companies have also been kept on standby and hopefully there should be no unforeseen incident," said a senior central government official, who did not wish to be identified.

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