The court directed self-styled godman Asaram to surrender at the Jodhpur Central Jail while dismissing his appeal against conviction. File
| Photo Credit: PTI
The Rajasthan High Court confirmed self-styled godman Asaram’s life sentence at a hearing on Wednesday (May 27, 2026). He was accused of raping a teenage girl in his ashram at Manai village near Jodhpur in 2013. The court acquitted Asaram of charges related to gang rape and gang penetrative sexual assault on a child under the Indian Penal Code and POCSO Act.
The court directed Asaram to surrender at the Jodhpur Central Jail while dismissing his appeal against conviction. The 86-year-old self-proclaimed godman is out on bail till July 7 on medical grounds. He has repeatedly sought bail, citing his advanced age and deteriorating health.
A Division Bench, comprising Justices Arun Monga and Yogendra Kumar Purohit, at the High Court’s principal seat in Jodhpur, acquitted Asaram of charges under Section 376(D) (gang rape) of the I.P.C. and Sections 5(g) and 6 of the POCSO Act. The court also exonerated him of the charge of criminal conspiracy under Section 120-B of I.P.C.
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A Division Bench, comprising Justices Arun Monga and Yogendra Kumar Purohit, at the High Court’s principal seat in Jodhpur, acquitted Asaram of charges under Section 376(D) (gang rape) of the I.P.C. and Sections 5(g) and 6 of the POCSO Act. The court also exonerated him of the charge of criminal conspiracy under Section 120-B of I.P.C.
Also read: Editorial on Asaram case verdict
Asaram’s conviction under Section 376(2)(f) (rape by a person in a position of trust) was upheld by the High Court, retaining the sentence of life imprisonment awarded by the trial court on April 25, 2018. Other provisions under which his conviction was confirmed included Sections 342 (wrongful confinement), 370(4) (trafficking), and 509 (insulting the modesty of a woman), along with Sections 7/8 of the POCSO Act and Section 23 of the Juvenile Justice Act.
Co-accused acquitted
The court acquitted co-accused, Sharatchandra, director of a residential school in Chhindwara, Madhya Pradesh, where the victim was studying, and Shilpi, warden of her hostel, who were earlier convicted for criminal conspiracy and sentenced to 20 years each in prison.
The Bench had reserved its judgment on April 20 after completing hearings on the appeals filed by Asaram and the co-accused. The court observed that the minor victim’s allegations against Asaram were credible and the offence of rape stood established, but added that the evidence on record was “not sufficient” to sustain the charges of gangrape and criminal conspiracy.
The parents of the 16-year-old victim, who were Asaram’s devotees, had brought her to Manai in August 2013 for the treatment of “evil spirits”. The girl stated in her complaint that Asaram sexually assaulted her for over an hour on the intervening night of August 15 and 16, 2013, and threatened her to keep her from revealing the truth to her parents.
When the girl told her parents about the assault, her father went to New Delhi to confront Asaram and lodged a complaint with the police when he could not meet him. The case was later transferred to Jodhpur, where the crime had taken place, and Asaram was arrested in Indore and brought to the western Rajasthan town.
Published – May 27, 2026 12:41 pm IST
