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Surat: A sessions court on Saturday sentenced 49-year-old Jain monk Acharya Shantisagar (Giriraj) to 10 years in prison for raping a 19-year-old woman from Vadodara in the Nanpura area of Surat on Oct 1, 2017. The monk was convicted for the crime on Friday by additional sessions Judge AK Shah. District govt pleader Nayan Sukhadwala said the prosecution submitted survivor's testimony, her mother's statement, medical evidence, and CCTV footage.
"The prosecution had earlier argued for a life sentence, citing the breach of trust and the influence the accused held over the survivor as her spiritual guide. We will examine the order and decide whether to move a higher court for more quantum of punishment." According to the FIR lodged at Athwalines police station on Oct 13, 2017, the survivor, a college student from Vadodara, had been following the monk as her spiritual guide since March 2017.
On the day of the incident, she visited the upashray with her parents and brother to seek his blessings. The monk raped her and threatened her, saying something bad would happen to her parents if she revealed anything. Upon returning to Vadodara, the woman experienced pain and visited a doctor who advised them to lodged a complaint, suspecting sexual assault.
The convict had been under judicial custody during the trial. With over seven years already spent in jail, this period will be deducted from his sentence. The court also imposed a fine of Rs 50,000 and directed the govt to determine the compensation amount to be awarded to the survivor.
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