Gujarat HC rejects Asaram's plea for suspension of sentence in rape case
Ahmedabad, Aug 31: The Gujarat High Court has rejected a plea for the suspension of sentence filed by jailed self-styled godman Asaram in a 2013 rape case, stating that there were no "exceptional grounds" to consider the application.
Asaram was sentenced to life imprisonment in the case by a Gandhinagar court in 2023.
Refusing to suspend the sentence and grant him bail, a division bench of Justices Ilesh Vora and Vimal Vyas in the order passed on Thursday 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 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 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 observed.
Asaram's plea said he was the victim of a conspiracy, and the allegations of rape were false. The trial court committed an error while accepting the victim's explanation for delay of 12 years in lodging the complaint, it added.
Asaram's appeal against the conviction in a rape case in Jodhpur is pending before the Rajasthan High Court. His application for suspension of sentence in that case was rejected by the Rajasthan High Court in January this year.
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Sameer Ahmed elected President of SKMWA Muscat for 2026–2027
Muscat: Sameer Ahmed, a native of Udupi and currently employed in a private company in Muscat, has been elected President of the South Kanara Muslim Welfare Association (SKMWA), Muscat, for the 2026–2027 term.
The election was conducted during the association’s Annual General Body Meeting held at Al Reef Hotel, Muscat, in the presence of chief guests Adil Shaikh, Monabba, Shareef, and Sahebzada Mehmood.
The newly elected office bearers include Vice Presidents Mohd Arif (Udupi) and Niyaz Mohammed (Mangalore), General Secretary Jaseem Basha (Kundapura), Joint Secretaries Rizwan Ali (Udupi) and Zaheer Hussain (Moodbidri), Treasurer Tajuddin Sheikh (Tonse), Assistant Treasurer Irfan Ahmed (Udyavara), Finance Secretary Mohammed Asif Gafur (Karkala), Assistant Finance Secretary Mohammed Akif Gafoor (Karkala), and Auditor Ashraf Ali (Kaup).
The Core Committee includes Event Coordinators Ansar Katipalla and Adil Moodbidri, and Sports Coordinators Ashpak Basrur and Muneer Ahmed (Sastan).
The programme commenced with a recitation from the Holy Quran by Zaid Asif. The Annual Activity Report for 2025 was presented by Sameer Ahmed, while the financial report was delivered by Mohammed Asif Gafoor and verified by Auditor Ashraf Ali.
Former president Azim was felicitated by Syed Mohiddin Saheb during the event.
The meeting concluded with an address by the newly elected president, followed by a vote of thanks proposed by General Secretary Jaseem Basha. The programme was coordinated by Syed Mohiddin Saheb (Sastan) and Ansar Katipalla.
