Controversial godman Asaram Bapu has filed an application with the Gujarat High Court, seeking to suspend the life sentence imposed on him by a state court for repeatedly raping a female disciple. The application, filed through his advocate Ashish Dagli, highlights that an appeal challenging his conviction has already been filed before the High Court. 

Asaram argues that his jail sentence should be suspended temporarily since the appeal may not be heard in the near future and because he believes he has a strong chance of succeeding in the appeal.

In his application, Asaram claims that the prosecution's case against him is "fake, fabricated, concocted," and an afterthought of the victim. He alleges that the prosecution witnesses, who he refers to as "enmity witnesses," conspired against him due to their dissatisfaction and unhappiness with the functioning of his ashram. Asaram suggests that these witnesses, who either had been removed from the ashram or had left and wanted to extort money from it, hatched a well-planned conspiracy to defame him.

Furthermore, Asaram highlights the delayed filing of the First Information Report (FIR) after 12 years, asserting that this supports his claim of a conspiracy to extort money from him. He mentions that the investigating officer stated that some witnesses testifying against him had never witnessed any wrong activities at his ashram but were willing to testify against him to secure his conviction.

Regarding the victim's testimony of forceful sexual intercourse, Asaram argues that it is highly improbable, given his age of 64 at the time of the alleged incidents and the victim's age of 21. He suggests that the victim could have easily overpowered him and escaped, undermining her version of events.

Asaram also emphasizes that he is now 84 years old, a senior citizen suffering from age-related ailments, and has been in jail for a significant period.

The matter was scheduled for a hearing before a division bench of Justices AY Kogje and Hasmukh Suthar, which adjourned the hearing until August 17.

It's important to note that Asaram Bapu is already serving a life sentence in two separate sexual offense cases and has been in jail since 2018 when he was brought from Indore, where he was arrested in 2013.

Case Title: Ashumal @ Asharam Thaumal Sindhi (Harpalani) vs State of Gujarat