Asaram sent to 14 day judicial custody

Self-styled Godman Asaram Bapu comes out of the District Sessions Court where he was produced after his arrest, in Jodhpur on Sunday.

The 72 year old self-styled godman Asaram Bapu, accused of sexually assaulting a sixteen year old girl, was sent to judicial custody for 14 days by a court in Jodhpur on Monday.

The police delared that Asaram was medically fit, contrary to his own insistene, and said there was a very strong case against the godman.

After being remanded to judicial custody, Asaram was taken to the Jodhpur central jail amid heavy security.

Before boarding the police van, the godman told his supporters (audible on the microphone of a news channel) to “be patient...do meditation...everything will be alright”.

“During the investigation, the allegations levelled against him were found to be true,” police officials told journalists in Jodhpur.

When asked whether the police had to bring the victim for identification, the police said there was no need for that.

“Bringing the victim here was never a part of the investigation. It was not required at all,” said officials.

Earlier, a team of doctors from Jodhpur's Sampurnanand Medical College had declared Asaram completely fit.

“He is perfectly ok...mentally and physically fit...(his claim of having a neurological illness) has been proved to be a lie,” DCP Jodhpur Ajay Pal Lamba told reporters.

On Sunday evening, a potency test was conducted on the godman, which he “passed”, the police said.

He was also taken to the Manai ashram, about 30 km from Jodhpur, for a recreation of the scene of crime.

When asked during the investigation as to why he had arranged for the girl and her family to stay at the farmhouse, away from the ashram, he reportedly said it was to ensure they stayed in comfort.

Asaram himself has refuted the charges levelled against him by the girl, who is an inmate of his Chhindwara (Madhya Pradesh) gurukul.

The girl had alleged that the godman had sexually assaulted her at a farmhouse in Jodhpur on independence day and had filed a FIR at New Delhi's Kamla Market police station a few days later.

The case was subsequently transferred to the Jodhpur police, which arrested him from his ashram from Indore, late on Saturday night.