Legal advisor says Narayan Sai might be preparing for anticipatory bail on fresh sexual assault charges

Legal advisor to India's self-proclaimed godman Asaram Bapu and his son Narayan Sai, Anjani Kumar, on Wednesday said that the son may be filing a plea for anticipatory bail, in the light of the fresh sexual assault allegations levelled against him.

Kumar also denied that Narayan Sai went 'missing' after he was named as an accused in the sexual assault case.

"He has been made accused. He is not hiding either. Actually, any individual if he is faces any FIR, then he has right to exercise his statutory right of anticipatory bail. So probably he might be preparing for that," Kumar said in Mumbai.

Meanwhile, speaking to mediapersons in Surat, the Police Commissioner of Surat, Rakesh Asthana, said the cases registered against Narayan Sai, dated back to 2002 and 2004 and the allegations were of repeated rape and molestation.

"We are investigating on the lines that due to fear of the accused persons the girl did not report the matter for so many years. There are evidences that she was under immense pressure," Asthana said.

Asthana added said that they have made significant progress and assured that they would trace missing Sai soon.

The Surat Police on Monday issued a lookout notice against Narayan Sai.

According to the FIR, Asaram raped the elder sister at Ahmedabad ashram and his son raped the younger one in Surat between 2002-04.

Asaram, 72, was arrested on September 1 on allegations of sexual assault on a minor at his ashram in Jodhpur and is currently in jail.

Asaram has been booked under Sections 376, 342, 506 and 509 of the IPC, Section 8 of the Prevention of Children from Sexual Offences Act ( POCSO ) and Sections 23 and 26 of the Juvenile Justice Act.

Besides the summons served on Asaram Bapu, notices have also been issued to the manager of the Chhindwara gurukul in Madhya Pradesh, the hostel warden and the main caretaker of Asaram, who was present at Manai Ashram in Jodhpur on August 15, when the alleged sexual assault took place there.