A court in Delhi on Friday ordered a stay on the publication of a book on religious leader Asaram’s conviction and arrest in a rape case. ...
A court in Delhi on Friday ordered a stay on the publication of a book on religious leader Asaram’s conviction and arrest in a rape case. Asaram is currently serving a life term in Jodhpur in Rajasthan.
The court’s order came on a civil suit filed by Sanchita Gupta, an associate of Asaram who was convicted under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences in 2018 in the case related to the rape of a 16-year-old girl.
Gupta told the court that an excerpt from the book, titled Gunning for the Godman: The True Story Behind Asaram Bapu’s Conviction, which was published by Scroll.in, was defamatory and would influence her appeal pending against the conviction in the Rajasthan High Court.
The book was scheduled to be published by HarperCollins on Saturday. It is a first-hand account Asaram’s arrest and conviction by police officer Ajay Lamba along with writer Sanjeev Mathur.
Gupta’s lawyer Vivek Aggarwal told the court that the contents of the book were different from trial records. Agarwal also argued that the book was a “one-sided narration of events”. He said that it was possible that the High Court could order a re-examination of witnesses in the case or order a re-trial of his client.
The court noted that the book would...
