Six witnesses examined in 2 cases against Sai

SURAT: Statements of six witnesses were registered in a court here on Thursday in two different cases of sexual exploitation and bribery against Narayan Sai. The next date of hearing for the cases is December 15.
Statements of four witnesses were registered in the court of additional sessions judge P S Gadhvi in the sexual exploitation case. These witnesses were present during police operation when the mobile phones of Narayan Sai, Kaushal Thakur and Ramesh Malhotra were recovered from Ludhiana ashram of tainted saint Asaram.The three accused had hidden their mobile phones when they were on the run.
Two witnesses registered their statements in the Rs 13 crore bribery case in the court of additional sessions judge R A Trivedi. These witnesses were present when two accused in the bribery case were arrested in the Police Bhavan.
"Six witnesses in the rape and bribery cases were examined in the courts on Thursday. The next hearing in both the cases will be on December 15," said Kalpesh Desai, lawyer of Narayan Sai.
Two sisters had lodged complaints in October 2013 against Sai and his father Asaram at Jahangirpura police station in the city, charging them with rape, sexual assault and illegal confinement.
The elder sister in her complaint against Asaram, had accused him of repeated sexual assaults between 1997 and 2006 in Ahmedabad. The case against Asaram was transferred to Ahmedabad for investigation from Surat. Asaram, 74, is currently lodged in Jodhpur jail after being arrested in September 2013 for allegedly sexually assaulting a minor girl at his Jodhpur ashram.