Children’s death: HC blasts panel on Asaram Bapu

Asaram has been evading deposition before the Commission for over a year and recently moved a petition before HC challenging the panel’s decision to reject his application seeking exemption from personal appearance. He had also contended that the panel was asking questions beyond its terms of reference and that it ought not to have summoned him at all.

On November 11, Asaram’s son Narayan Sai appeared before the Commission after it started considering the option of issuing warrant against the two. Before Narayan Sai’s deposition, Asaram’s representatives had also given an assurance to the Commission that he would depose on December 1 but, subsequently he moved HC challenging the Commission’s order.

The court had dismissed the petition and imposed a fine of Rs 25,000 on Asaram for moving the “frivolous” petition.

Dismissing the petition, the single-judge bench of HC comprising Justice Paresh Upadhyay also pulled up the Commission for its handling of the issue.

“...from the tenor of the orders passed by the Commission which are on record of this petition,...a picture emerges where the Commission has, on its knees and with folded hands, craved for the convenience of the petitioner and his son to record their evidence

... contd.