Rape convict Asaram pleads for mercy as old age takes a toll

Jodhpur, Sep 12: The self established 'god- man' Asaram seems to be having a tough time in the jail who is serving a life imprisonment after he was found guilty of raping a 16- year old minor girl. The judgement was given by a Jodhpur court on April 25 for the crime he committed 5 years ago.

Asaram has now requested the Jodhpur governor to dilute his prison term citing the punishment as 'gruelling' given his old age. Asaram wrote to Kalyan Singh, the Governor of Rajasthan to terminate his prison term as his old age is taking a toll on him. Governor Kalyan Singh, who recently received Asaram's mercy plea, sent it to the state home department seeking a detailed report on the plea.

The department then forwarded the plea to the Jodhpur Central Jail administration, which, in turn, has sought a report from the district administration and police. The jail administration will now send the rapists plea to the Director General (Jail) of Rajasthan.

The victim, the teenager from Shahjahanpur in Uttar Pradesh was studying at one of Asaram's ashram in Chhindwara in Madhya Pradesh. She had said in her complaint that Asaram had called her to his ashram in the Manai area near Jodhpur and raped her on the night of August 15, 2013.