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Keshavanand exonerated from all charges Thursday, June 28, 2001

By A Staff Reporter, The TImes of India News Service
AHMEDABAD: The Gujarat High Court has exonerated Swami Keshavanand of Sanatan Ashram Dwarka from all charges for want of satisfactory evidence.

Keshavanand Harinarayan Swami, alias Kamal Vishveshwar Sharma, has already served a 10-year rigorous imprisonment for the rape of a minor girl studying in his ashram school. He was released early calculating other benefits. He also paid fine.

However, the state government had preferred an appeal seeking life sentence on Keshavanand. An appeal was also made by Keshavanand challenging the order of punishment and holding him criminal.

A division Bench comprising Justice BC Patel and Justice AL Dave, after the final hearing of both appeals, dismissed the appeal of the state government while holding the appeal of Keshavanand that he be exonerated.

Keshavanand was exonerated from different charges levelled against him for raping girl students by the sessions court of Jamnagar earlier, but for one levelled by Rita Shah of Jamnagar.

It was alleged that an employee of the ashram, Ravindra Chaubey, had sent the girl into Keshavanand's room, three months prior to April 18, 1994. The girl massaged the swami's legs after he directed her to. The swami then raped her. The act was repeated four to five times.

However, the sessions court had exonerated Chaubey from all charges, but had directed Keshavanand to pay a fine of Rs 35,000 and sentenced him for 10 years.

Senior advocate KJ Shethna appeared for Keshavanand while additional government pleader MA Bukhari appeared for the state government. The court also commented on the way the police had conducted the investigation.

News Source : Times Of India News Service [ Lightning News ]

 

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