Surat court frames charges against Narayan Sai in bribery case

The special court for anti-corruption cases in Surat on Tuesday framed charges against self-styled godman Asaram's son Narayan Sai and ten others for conspiring to bribe police and judicial officers to weaken the rape case against him.

Judge R T Vacchani framed charges under various sections of Prevention of Corruption Act against Sai and others for allegedly trying to offer a bribe of Rs 14 crore to police and judicial officers. The trial would begin from June 23, the court said.

The charge-sheet, filed by the police in February last year, names Sai, his personal secretary Uday Sanghani, police sub-inspector C K Kumbhani, Surat-based construction professional Ketan Patel, Dhiraj Patel, Hasmukh Upadhyay, Naresh alias Rupaalbhai, Bhavesh Patel, Hitendra Vaghela, Bhadresh Patel and K D Patel. Sai, 42, was arrested from Delhi-Haryana border in December 2013 after a Surat-based woman alleged that he had repeated sexually assaulted her when she was living at his ashram here between 2002 and 2005. Her elder sister has levelled similar allegation against Asaram.

During the time he was in police custody, the crime branch of city police claimed to have unearthed Sai's plan to bribe police, doctors and even judicial officers to weaken the rape case.