Verdict read out inside prison in Jodhpur due to fears of violence from his followers

This article is more than 2 years old

This article is more than 2 years old

An Indian court has found a guru guilty of raping a teenage girl in 2013 and sentenced him to life in prison.

The verdict against Asaram Bapu, 77, was read out inside a prison in Jodhpur, Rajasthan state, due to fears that his followers might resort to violence.



Security was tight around the prison complex and in states where the guru has a large following.

It is the latest high-profile rape case in India, following others that have fuelled public protests and raised questions about how police handle allegations and treat victims.

In August, another popular guru, Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh, was sentenced to 20 years in prison for raping two female followers.

Responding to widespread outrage over the recent rape and killings of girls and other attacks on children, India’s government last week approved the death penalty for people convicted of raping children under the age of 12.

The judge, Madhusudhan Sharma, announced the prison term for Bapu and sentenced two of his associates to 20 years in prison each for helping him in the crime. Sharma convicted Bapu on charges of criminal conspiracy, wrongful confinement and rape.

Bapu has denied the charges, and a spokesman said he would appeal against the verdict in a higher court.

In her complaint to police in 2013, the girl accused Bapu of raping her when she visited his retreat in Jodhpur with her mother. She was 16 at the time. Her family said they had been followers of Bapu for more than a decade.

Bapu has been in prison since his arrest in 2013. He ran more than 230 ashrams with residential schools with millions of followers across India and abroad, including the US, UK, Canada, Uganda and Kenya.

Religious sects wield considerable political clout in India. Bapu is on trial with his son Narayan Sai in a separate case in which two sisters have accused them of sexual assault.