Gandhinagar: The local court here, which was hearing a sensational rape case against ‘controversial’ self-styled god-man Asaram Bapu, today said that it would now hear it ‘in-camera’.

The court of ADJ A M Joshi in the sessions court here today accepted the plea of the prosecution for the in-camera hearing of the case for the security of the witnesses and also looking at the sensitiveness of the matter which pertains to the FIR lodged on October 6, 2013 by a lady from Surat and former disciple of Asaram.

She had accused that Asaram had raped her in his Motera Ashram on the outskirts of Ahmedabad on the Guru Purnima day in year 2001. The younger sister of the victim had also lodged a similar kind of complaint against Asaram’s son Narayan Sai (lodged in Surat Central Jail). Both the sisters are resident of Surat where they had lodged the FIR, however the case against Asaram was latter shifted to Motera police station.

Counsel of Asaram, B M Gupta said that the court has decided to hear the case number 34/2014 ‘in-camera’ which means that media or any other person not related with the matter won’t be allowed to enter the court during the course of hearing.

He said that currently recording of the statements of witnesses was going on in the case which now on-ward would be done behind closed doors. The next date of hearing in the case has been fixed for May 31.

Asaram, is already behind bars in Jodhpur central jail in yet another rape case involving a minor girl.

DeshGujarat