New Delhi: In August 2013, a 16-year-old girl accused Asaram of sexually assaulting her at his ashram in Jodhpur on the pretext of exorcising her of evil spirits.
The girl’s parents, who were disciples of Asaram, filed a complaint with the police in Delhi, and a case was registered after a medical examination confirmed that the girl had been sexually assaulted.
When Asaram did not appear for questioning by August 31, Delhi Police booked him under multiple non-bailable sections of Indian Penal Code (IPC).
Asharam remained inside one of his ashrams in Indore and avoided arrest while clashes broke out between his disciples, journalists and policemen. Eventually, Jodhpur police arrested him on September 1, 2013 from his ashram.
Asaram has dismissed the girl’s allegations and went on to claim impotency as an alibi, which was subsequently rejected after he passed the potency test. He has been in jail since and has been denied bail multiple times. On April 25, 2018, Asaram was pronounced guilty of the charges.
