Asaram case: Gurukul warden's anticipatory bail plea rejected

Jodhpur, Sep 12: A court on Thursday rejected the anticipatory bail plea of a warden of one of Asaram Bapu's ashrams, who is a co-accused in the alleged sexual assault of a teenage girl by the self-style godman.

The District and Sessions court trashed the bail application of Shilpi, who heads the Chhindwara Gurukul ashram in Madhya Pradesh. Referring to the Shilpi's role in the alleged conspiracy and "adequate evidence" against her, Judge Manoj Kumar Vyas observed that accepting the bail application of Shilpi was not fit at this stage of probe.

Shilpi, apprehending arrest by the police, had moved the application in the court yesterday stating that she has already been interrogated by the police in the case and has nothing to with the matter. Rebutting her claim, the prosecution counsel Anand Purohit said that police is after her on the basis of the strong evidence.

The court had directed a medical board to examine Asaram.

He reiterated that it was Shilpi who had conspired to send the girl to Asaram in Jodhpur by impressing upon her parents that she was "possessed by the evil spirits". After hearing the arguments, the judge rejected her bail application saying that "she is the important link required by the police in order to wrap up the investigation and cannot be given bail."

Meanwhile, the court completed the hearing on the plea of Asaram in which he had asked for special food in the jail. The court reserved its order for tomorrow. The court had directed a medical board to examine Asaram to ascertain whether his health condition required that he be given special food from outside jail as claimed by him.

PTI