Asaram conviction: We lived in constant terror, satisfied with verdict, says victim’s father

A special court in Jodhpur held Asaram, 77, guilty of raping a 16-year-old girl from Shahajanpur in Uttar Pradesh in 2013 (Reuters Photo/File)

The father of the 16-year-old girl from Uttar Pradesh’s Shahjahanpur, who was raped by self-styled ‘godman’ Asaram five years ago, said justice has been served and that he was satisfied with the verdict. A special court in Jodhpur on Wednesday convicted Asaram, 77, in the 2013 rape case and sentenced him to life imprisonment .

“I am happy to get justice. We had complete faith in the judiciary and are happy that we got justice,” the victim’s father was quoted as saying by PTI. “For the past four months, our family members had not been coming out (of our house)…it is satisfying that the verdict has gone against him. We were living in constant terror, our business was adversely hit,” he added.

Also read | Asaram Bapu held guilty of raping 16-year-old girl in ashram by Jodhpur court

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The victim was studying at Asaram’s ashram in Mania near Jodhpur when the incident occurred. She said she was called by him and raped on the intervening night on August 15 and 16, 2013. The ‘godman’ was subsequently arrested and placed in judicial custody. He has been lodged in Jodhpur Central Jail since 2013.

Ahead of today’s judgment, security personnel were deployed for the victim and her family.

Additional security was stepped up across three states, Rajasthan, Gujarat and Haryana, to ensure that the law and order was maintained following the verdict. In Jodhpur, where proceedings took place, Section 144 was imposed preventing the assembly of people. For LIVE updates from the Jodhpur court, click here.