Surat: A local court today rejected the two bail pleas of the son of disputed god-man Asaram Bapu, Narayan Sai, himself a self styled religious preacher. behind bars like his father under charges of rape, bribing and other offenses, including the temporary bail petition to contest the upcoming assembly polls in Uttar Pradesh from two seats.

The court of ADJ P S Gadhvi had reserved its verdict on January 21 after completion of hearing on his temporary bail plea as well as the regular one in the rape case.

The prosecution in the case had opposed his bail pleas strongly saying that the cases against him were on an important juncture and releasing him on bail might put the evidences of these case in danger especially in the wake of earlier attacks on many of them.

Narayan Sai’s advocate Kalpesh Desai said that it would be decided later about going for appeal in the high court. ‘We will study the order and then decide about it,’ he said.

During the course of argument he had said that his client was willing to contest the election from Sahibabad (Ghaziabad district ) and Shivpur (Varansi district) seats from his own political outfit Ojaswi party. “There is no restriction on his contesting election as he was not a convict,’ Desai had argued.

Sai’s Ojaswi party is likely to field over 150 candidates in Uttar Pradesh and Punjab.

Sai has been lodged in Lajpore central jail here since his arrest in December 2013 in connection with the rape and sexual exploitation of a lady. The elder sister of the victim had alleged that Asaram had raped and sexually exploited her. Sai was also made accused in a sensational bribery case involving policemen to weaken the cases against him and his father. In September last year his estranged wife Janki had lodged a complaint of harassment against him and Asaram in a police station in neighbouring Rajashtan. She had alleged that he had also married to one of his disciples.

Meanwhile, it is said that Asaram, lodged in Jodhpur jail in Rajasthan in connection with the rape of a minor, was against the idea of Sai’s contesting election. Recently during his production in a court there he had told newsmen that some selfish people were misguiding him to contest election and he should not do so.

Sai known for his whimsical statements and steps had recently written a letter to the Prime Minister seeking his cooperation in reforming the Lajpore jail.

Deshgujarat