Asaram case: SC directs courts to ensure safety of witnesses

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Monday directed the trial courts in Rajasthan and Gujarat to ensure the safety of those who seek security in connection with the Asaram case.

The apex court has instructed the concerned trial courts to pass appropriate orders if any witness seeks security in the Asaram case, said reports.

The Supreme Court's order comes as nine witnesses in the Asaram case have come under attack so far, out of which three have died.

The last such witness to die was Kripal Singh, who was shot at on July 10 and succumbed to his injuries later.

Earlier, Asarma's cook Akhil Kumar Gupta, a key witness in a rape case against self-proclaimed godman, was shot dead in Muzaffarnagar in Uttar Pradesh in January.

The first witness to have been killed was Amrut Prajapati who was shot dead in June 2014.

Asaram has been in a jail in Jodhpur since September 2013. Two months later, he, along with his son Narayan Sai, was booked for the alleged rape of two sisters at their ashram in Gujarat's Surat.