Jodhpur: Self-styled godman Asaram appeared broken following his conviction in a rape case, Jodhpur Jail Superintendent Vikram Singh said on Wednesday.
"Do something", the 77-year-old kept on muttering to his advocates during the hearing of arguments on the quantum of sentence, according to Singh.
"Asaram seemed nervous on hearing the verdict," said a police officer present on the premises of the Jodhpur central jail where the judgment was pronounced.
"Asaram appeared broken. He said he will now move a higher court," Singh said.
Inside his cell, Asaram was restless and kept on lumbering for some time, he said.
The Jodhpur Schedule Caste and Schedule Tribe Court on Wednesday sentenced self-styled godman Asaram Bapu to life imprisonment for the rape of a 16-year-old girl at his ashram in 2013.
This is the second case of a powerful spiritual leader being convicted of a sexual offense in less than a year after Dera Sacha Sauda chief Ram Rahim.
Apart from Asaram, two other accused were convicted by the special court and sentenced to 20 years each in jail. It acquitted two others.
The verdict was pronounced by Judge Madhusudan Sharma inside the Jodhpur Jail due to security reasons.
In the case registered in Rajasthan, a 16-year-old girl from Shahajahanpur of Uttar Pradesh had accused Asaram of raping her at his ashram in Manai village near Jodhpur on the night of August 15, 2013. The girl was brought to the ashram by her parents.
Asaram was arrested in Indore and brought to Jodhpur on September 1, 2013. He has been under judicial custody since September 2, 2013.
Asaram is also facing a rape case in Surat in which the Supreme Court earlier this month gave five weeks time to the prosecution to complete the trial.
Two Surat-based sisters had lodged separate complaints against the self-styled godman and his son Narayan Sai, accusing them of rape.
(With PTI inputs)
