Asaram Bapu's plea for parole rejected

Jaipur, Nov 1: Jodhpur District Parole Committee has rejected self-styled godman Asaram Bapu's plea for 20-days parole. Asaram is serving life term after being convicted in a rape case.

In April, the Jodhpur Schedule Caste and Schedule Tribe Court awarded life imprisonment to Asaram till death. The five charges levelled against Asaram Bapu were, raping minor girl, wrongful confinement, criminal intimidation, criminal conspiracy and sexual harassment.

Asaram had earlier moved a mercy plea before Rajasthan Governor Kalyan Singh, seeking dilution of his life sentence.

In October, Asaram's nephew had contended that the self styled godman has spent five years in the jail already and was, hence, eligible for parole.

Asaram was arrested in 2013 on the complaint filed by a teenage girl from Uttar Pradesh's Shahajahanpur. She had accused him of raping her at his Jodhpur ashram.