Asaram's 'godman' son gets life term in rape case (Lead, correcting para 2)

A court here on Tuesday sentenced 40-year-old Narayan Sai, the son of self-styled godman Asaram, to life imprisonment in a 2013 rape case.

The sessions court, which had convicted him on Friday, also slapped a fine of Rs 5 lakh on him, asking him to pay this amount as compensation to the victim. He was also separately penalized Rs 1 lakh for the crime.

Three of Narayan Sai's aides - Ganga alias Dharmishtha, Jamana alias Bhavna Patel and Hanuman - who were also convicted in the case, were sentenced to 10 years imprisonment and a fine of Rs 5,000 each. His driver Ramesh Malhotra was given five years in jail with a fine of Rs 500.

Narayan Sai's lawyer told reporters after the sentencing that they would appeal in the high court for his release on bail within next 60 days.

Two charge sheets were filed against 35 persons in the case, while the prosecution had produced 53 witnesses and the defence 14 witnesses. Narayan Sai was arrested in December 2013 from Pipli near Haryana's Kurukshetra after two sisters from Surat filed separate rape complaints against him and his father Asaram in October that year.

His father, Ashumal Harpalani alias Asaram, was convicted last year for raping a minor girl in Rajasthan and sentenced to life imprisonment by a Jodhpur court.

One of the sisters had accused Narayan Sai, who also claims to be a godman himself, of repeated sexual assaults when they were living at Asaram's Surat ashram between 2002 and 2005. Police had booked Narayan Sai on charges of rape, sexual assault, illegal confinement and other offences.

--IANS

desai/vd