Son to quash rape complaints
Ahmedabad: Gujarat High Court today rejected petitions filed by self-styled godman Asaram and his son Narayan Sai seeking to quash rape complaints lodged against them by two sisters with Surat police.
Rejecting the plaints, Justice A J Desai observed that since the investigation in the cases have reached a crucial stage, the pleas can not be entertained.
The court also rejected the father-son duo’s request to withdraw the petition.
In their petitions, filed last month, Asaram and Naryan Sai had challenged the FIR filed against them in Surat and Ahmedabad. In the petition, Asaram, who is accused of raping the elder sister, has said that the charge against him was fabricated and the complaint was lodged against him to tarnish his image. He said that the women has not been able to give a satisfactory reason for the ten-year delay in filing the rape complaint against him. Narayan Sai ha made a similar contention.
The women, in their complaint, have alleged that they were raped during 2002-2004 when they were working in Asaram’s ashram. According to the complaint, Asaram raped the elder sister in his ashram in Ahmedabad while the younger sister was repeatedly raped by Narayan Sai in his ashrams in Surat and Banaskantha. Asaram is currently lodged in a Jodhpur jail after a minor girl registered a complaint of sexual assault against him. (UNI)
