Asaram verdict to be delivered inside jail
Jodhpur, April 17: Apprehending trouble from thousands of followers of Asaram in case of an adverse judgment, the Jodhpur court will pronounce its verdict in a rape case against him inside the premises of the Central Jail here on April 25.
Considering an appeal from the Jodhpur Police Commissioner, a division bench of the Rajasthan High Court on Tuesday ordered the trial court to deliver its verdict inside the jail premises.
The division bench comprising Justice Gopal K. Vyas and Justice Ram Chandra Singh Jhala also issued guidelines to the Jodhpur Police Commissioner and the District Magistrate and Collector to ensure law and order in the city on the verdict day.
According to the high court's order, the Central Jail Superintendent and the district administration have been directed to make all arrangements for proceedings inside the jail for the pronouncement of the judgment.
The Police Commissioner, anticipating a huge presence of the godman's followers in the city on the judgment day, moved the high court to seek directions to the SC/ST cases trial court for pronouncing the judgment inside the jail. He also feared that the followers could indulge in vandalism and arson after the verdict.
The final arguments in the case were completed in the court of SC/ST Cases Special Judge Madhu Sudan Sharma on April 7.
Asaram was arrested in 2013 after a minor girl from Saharanpur (Uttar Pradesh) had reported sexual assault by Asaram in his ashram during her stay in Manai village on the outskirts of Jodhpur.
Thereafter, he was then brought from Indore and jailed in the Jodhpur Central jail. Several clashes have been reported between the police and his followers since then.
Asaram was booked under relevant sections of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act and the SC/ST Act and was denied bail by the Supreme Court.
He can face a maximum of 10 years of jail if found guilty.
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Bengaluru techie run over by drunk driver after refusing to buy cigarette
Bengaluru: A 29-year-old techie lost his life and his friend narrowly survived after a drunk driver rammed his car into their two-wheeler following a petty argument. The shocking incident occurred near Kanakapura Main Road and was reportedly triggered by a trivial dispute over a cigarette.
The deceased, HN Sanjay, was a resident of Vajarahalli, while his friend Chetan Pujamath (30), who sustained injuries, lives in JP Nagar 7th Phase. Both were working professionals in the tech industry.
The accused, Pratheek (31), a BCom graduate and manager at a private firm, was returning home with his wife from a birthday party when he allegedly asked Sanjay and Chetan, who were having tea at a roadside stall, to get him a cigarette. An argument started when the request was denied, as reported by The New Indian Express on Sunday.
Others at the tea stall and Pratheek’s wife intervened to de-escalate the situation, and she eventually convinced him to return to the car. However, as Sanjay and Chetan were riding home shortly after, Pratheek, who was reportedly drunk, followed them and deliberately rammed his car into their bike.
“Chetan slid on the car’s bonnet and sustained minor injuries. But Sanjay fell along with the bike and banged his head against the shutters of a pharmacy and the pavement. He was admitted to a hospital, where he died on Tuesday,” TNIE report quoted the police as saying.
Initially booked for attempted murder, Pratheek now faces murder charges following Sanjay’s death. He has been remanded to judicial custody. Police have clarified that Pratheek’s wife was not involved in the incident.
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