In yet another setback to father-son duo Asumal Sirumalani, alias Asaram Bapu, and Narayan Sai, the Gujarat High Court on Monday dismissed their petitions for quashing of FIRs against them on sexual assaults lodged by two Surat-based sisters.
After the completion of arguments of counsels of self styled godman and his son as well as Government pleader in October, the High Court had reserved its order on the petitions moved by the duo. On Monday, following withdrawal of petitions by Asaram and his son’s counsels, Justice AJ Desai dismissed it.
In its observation the court said that liberty has been granted to Asaram and Narayan Sai to file fresh petitions after investigations against them in the sexual assault case gets over.
The accused had moved High Court seeking quashing of FIRs registered against them by two Surat-based sisters, who alleged that they were repeatedly sexually assaulted between 1997 and 2006. The older sister accused self-styled godman for sexual assault in Ahmedabad, while the younger one charged against Sai for the same crime at Surat and other places.
The sisters lodged complaints at Jehangirpura police station in Surat. later on the plaint against Asaram was transferred to Chandkheda police station in Ahmedabad, as alleged sexual crime was taken place at Asaram’s Ahmedabad based Ashram, where the elder of the two sisters lived between the 1997 and 2006. In the case of younger sister, alleged crime against her occurred between 2002 and 2005 in Surat ashram.
Surat police on Saturday declared prize money of Rs 5 lakh for information on Narayan Sai, who was declared absconder by the court. His 72-year-old father and accused in the similar case is languishing in Jodhpur jail in another sexual assault case.