Gandhinagar Magistrate Court finds seven Asaram's followers guilty in 2008 rioting case

After 12 years since journalists were attacked by the followers of rape convict Asaram Bapu, a Gandhinagar Magisterial Court on Friday convicted seven people to one year of imprisonment after the court found them guilty for rioting and causing injury. Earlier in 2008, followers of the self-styled god-man Asaram, who is currently serving his prison term, had attacked a group of journalists with sticks. The journalists were standing outside his ashram in Motera, covering a bandh called in protest against the death of two minor boys, who were students of the ashram's gurukul.

The attack had taken place on the day of observance of ‘Guru Purnima’. Bodies of the two boys, 11-year-old Abhishek Vaghela and 10-year old Dipesh Vaghela were found on the banks of the Sabarmati river on July 5. They were reported missing from the ashram a few days before their bodies were found. People of the Ranip area, where the boys belonged, had called for a bandh which was being supported by the Gujarat state unit of the Congress.

2008 Rioting Case: Court convicts 7 Asaram followers

Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate PK Gadhvi in his verdict said that a detailed order of which is awaited, seven people were found guilty under IPC sections 147 (punishment for rioting), 149 (every member of unlawful assembly guilty of the offence committed in prosecution of common object), 323 (punishment for voluntarily causing hurt). A total of five criminal complaint applications by the prosecution — State of Gujarat — were before the magistrate’s court.

According to the lawyer, who was dealing in all five cases, all accused in four of the applications were acquitted of the charges, while in the fifth case, of the 19 accused, seven were convicted and 12 others were acquitted of the charges. “The mob involved more than 50-60 people. The acquittal of the accused was primarily on the ground that it could not be determined if they were at the site of the offence or not. Even if the presence of some of the accused could be determined at the location of the offence, it could not be determined from the evidence or prosecution witnesses if they were involved in the commission of the offence,” said the lawyer.

(Image: PTI-Representative)