SC notice to Gujarat govt on Asaram's plea seeking suspension of sentence in 2013 rape case
New Delhi (PTI): The Supreme Court on Friday sought response from the Gujarat government on a plea filed by jailed self-styled godman Asaram seeking suspension of the life sentence imposed on him by a trial court in a 2013 rape case.
A bench of Justices M M Sundresh and Aravind Kumar told the counsel appearing for Asaram that it would examine the issue only if there are medical grounds.
"We will issue notice, but we will consider only on medical conditions," the bench said while posting the matter for hearing on December 13.
The Gujarat High Court on August 29 had rejected Asaram's plea for the suspension of life imprisonment in the case by a Gandhinagar court in 2023.
Refusing to suspend the sentence and grant him bail, the high court had observed that no case for relief was made out.
The sessions court in January 2023 convicted Asaram in the 2013 rape case, filed by a woman who was living in his ashram near Gandhinagar at the time of the crime.
Asaram is currently lodged in Jodhpur jail in Rajasthan in another rape case.
The high court had noted that his contentions about possible delay in the disposal of his appeal, his age and the medical condition were not relevant to the grant of relief.
The court had also considered the antecedents, including alleged murder of two boys at his Sabarmati ashram and attacks on witnesses and relatives of victims.
“At this stage, considering the totality of the circumstances, the ground of possible delay in appeal and medical ailment, as well as ten years completion in jail, in our view, may not be relevant in considering the prayer of suspension of bail,” the court had observed.
Asaram’s plea had said he was the victim of a conspiracy, and the allegations of rape were false. The trial court committed an error while accepting the survivor's explanation for delay of 12 years in lodging the complaint, it submitted.
His appeal against the conviction in a rape case in Jodhpur is pending before the Rajasthan High Court. Asaram's application for suspension of sentence in that case was rejected by the Rajasthan High Court in January this year.
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Cristiano Ronaldo scores his 100th Saudi Pro League goal
Riyadh (AP): Cristiano Ronaldo scored his 100th Saudi Pro League goal as Al-Nassr beat Al-Shabab 4-2 to move five points clear at the top of the table.
The 41-year-old forward converted a Sadio Mané cross at the near post with 15 minutes remaining to record the 971st goal of his career on Thursday. It was also his 26th league goal of the season.
“Ronaldo is always dangerous going forward and we saw that again today,” Al-Nassr coach Jorge Jesus said.
João Félix, signed from Chelsea in July, scored three goals for the league leaders.
The win took Al-Nassr to 82 points from 32 games, five ahead of Al-Hilal, which has three matches, one more than Nassr, left to play. Al-Hilal meets Al-Kholood on Friday and faces Nassr on Tuesday in what could be a title decider against its Riyadh rival.
“Now we have a derby match against our rival, which is a difficult encounter,” Jesus said.
“We are fully aware of its importance, and we are dealing with it with complete focus as we know that small details could decide the result.”
Ronaldo, a five-time Ballon d'Or winner, has yet to secure a major trophy in Saudi Arabia since signing with Al-Nassr in December 2022.
