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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Vinod Tawde seeks apology from Kharge, Rahul through legal notice, warns of defamation lawsuit
Cash-for-vote row
New Delhi, Nov 22: BJP leader Vinod Tawde has demanded an apology from Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and the Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi for making "false and baseless" allegations against him in the cash-for-votes incident in Maharashtra, saying if they don't he would sue them for defamation.
Tawde was accused by Bahujan Vikas Aghadi, a regional party, of distributing Rs 5 crore to woo voters, with its members barging into a hotel room on November 19 in a Mumbai suburb, where the BJP leader was present.
The former Maharashtra minister and BJP national general secretary claimed innocence, saying the alleged amount was not recovered in the probe by the Election Commission and police.
"The Congress only believes in spreading lies, and this incident is a proof of the party's low level politics to dent me and my party's image," Tawde said.
The two Congress leaders and the party spokesperson Supriya Shrinate seized on the row to accuse the BJP of using money power to influence the November 20 assembly polls in the state.
The legal notice sent to the three claimed that they were aware that they were pushing a "totally false story fabricated" by them.
"You all have deliberately, mischievously with the sole intention of damaging the reputation of our client intentionally fabricated the story distribution of money. You all have published false, baseless allegations against our client on various media for tarnishing his image in the eyes of right thinking people in the society," the notice read.
The Congress leaders were in a "great hurry" to damage Tawde's reputation, they did not bother to check the fact and or despite knowing the entire fact they made the false, baseless allegations, it said.
"The entire imputation made by you all are totally false, baseless, malicious and mala fide and as our client is in no way involved in any such illegal activity and as a responsible office bearer of the national political party he is aware of his duties," it added.
The notice demanded an "unconditional apology" to Tawde within 24 hours from the time the receipt of the notice, which was sent on November 21, and published in newspapers and X.
If they do not offer apology, then Tawde will initiate criminal proceedings under Section 356, which covers defamation, of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and also civil proceedings for the damages of Rs 100 crore against the three Congress leaders, the notice said.
