Claiming that Asaram Bapu was not appearing in court on health grounds despite doctors declaring him fit, the prosecution on Monday moved an application seeking continuance of trial in the absence of the self-styled godman, who is accused of sexually assaulting a teenage girl.
The prosecution moved the application before the District and Sessions court under section 317 of the CrPC, in a bid to save the teenage girl and her family from the inconvenience caused by repeated adjournments of the trial.
"We have moved an application in the court seeking its permission to continue the trial even if Asaram, the main accused, did not appear...," said public prosecutor R L Meena. He said Asaram has not been appearing in the court on health ground despite the hospital having declared him fit and this has been holding the trial from progressing.
After the prosecution completed examining the girl on April 21, the court had permitted the defence to cross-examine her from April 25. "But due to absence of Asaram, the cross-examination could not take place. It did not happen today either," Meena said, adding that this has been causing inconvenience to the victim and her parents who have been compelled to put up in Jodhpur for the past 15 days. The defence, however, had pleaded on April 25 that it was not willing to go ahead with the cross-examination, but the court had turned down their plea.
Meanwhile, the defence moved an application in the court previous week seeking permission for re-hospitalisation of Asaram, following which he was admitted to the Ayurved hospital on Monday. "He is quite frail, aged and the growing heat is casting spell on him, which is keeping him sick," said Asaram's lawyer Pradeep Choudhary.
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