Asaram Bapu, son fail to appear before inquiry commission

Spiritual guru Asaram Bapu and his son Narayan Sai, who had been summoned today by Justice DK Trivedi Commission in connection with mysterious deaths of two teenage boys in 2008, failed to turn up.

Asaram and Narayan Sai had submitted a petition before the commission seeking review of its March 21 order summoning them. But Justice (retd) Trivedi rejected it.

The commission has now asked their lawyers to submit, by April 8, when the duo would appear.

The summons has been issued under the Commission of Inquiry Act, following the application by Prafful Waghela and Shantilal Waghela, the parents of the deceased boys, seeking questioning of Asaram and Narayan Sai.

Decomposed bodies of their teenage sons, Dipesh and Abhishek respectively, who were studying at Asaram Bapu's ashram in Motera area here, were found from the banks of river Sabarmati on July 5, 2008, two days after they were reported missing by the ashram authorities.

The discovery of dead bodies created tension in the area, with local people demanding that culprits be brought to book.