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Associated Press

An Indian court on Wednesday found a high-profile spiritual guru Asaram Bapu guilty of raping a teenage female devotee in 2013 and he faces a maximum of life in prison.
The verdict against 77-year-old Bapu was read out inside a prison in the city of Jodhpur in Rajasthan state because of fears that his followers may resort to violence.
The case is the latest in a series of high-profile rape cases in India that have fuelled public protests and raised questions about how police handle the cases and treat the victims.
In August last year, another popular and flamboyant Indian spiritual guru, Dr. Saint Gurmeet Singh Ram Rahim Insan, was sentenced to 20 years in prison on charges of raping two female followers.
Judge Madhusudhan Sharma will announce the prison term for Bapu later after hearing arguments from the prosecution and Bapu’s attorneys.
Bapu has denied the rape and can appeal his conviction in a higher court.
The girl in her complaint to the police in 2013 accused Bapu of raping her when she visited his retreat in Jodhpur with her mother. The girl’s family said they had been followers of Bapu for more than a decade.
Bapu has been in prison since his arrest in the case in 2013.
On Wednesday, security was tight around the prison complex and in states where the self-styled guru has a considerable following.
Religious sects also wield considerable political clout in India with several politicians as followers. Asaram is also on trial along with his son Narayan Sai in a separate rape case where two sisters have accused the two men of sexual assault.


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India

Indian guru Asaram Bapu is convicted of raping teenage devotee

Indian policemen stand guard outside the ashram of controversial Indian guru Asaram Bapu, who is accused of sexually assaulting a minor girl, in New Delhi on April 25, 2018. An Indian guru with millions of followers is in court in Jodhpur on April 25, 2018 accused of raping a teenage devotee on the pretext of ridding her of evil spirits. / AFP PHOTO / MONEY SHARMA

In this file photo taken on October 15, 2013 Indian spiritual guru Asaram Bapu (centre) is escorted by state police as he leaves a local court in Gandhinagar, some 30km from Ahmadabad. Photo: Agence France-Presse