SC directs time-bound disposal of Narayan Sai’s appeal against rape conviction

The Supreme Court has directed the Gujarat high court to dispose of the appeal of Narayan Sai, son of the self-styled godman Asaram, within three months. Sai is challenging his rape conviction, which came after he was found guilty of raping two women at a Surat ashram and his father's ashram between 2002 and 2005. The trial court sentenced Sai to life imprisonment under various IPC sections, including rape, assault, criminal intimidation, and conspiracy.

The high court had initially refused to take up Sai's appeal out of turn, citing that older appeals were still pending. However, the bench of Justices MM Sundresh and PB Varale expressed their confidence in the high court's willingness to dispose of the case promptly. Prosecutors stated that Sai, who has been in Surat jail for over 12 years, was not interested in expediting his appeal and was employing "delay tactics" to prolong the matter.

Senior advocate N Hariharan, who represented Sai, claimed that the high court had not heard their plea for early disposal. The bench acknowledged that the high court's observations were tentative and could only apply to the suspension of the sentence application.