Bribe conspiracy: Narayan Sai gets judicial custody

SURAT: A sessions court today remanded self- styled godman Asaram Bapu's son Narayan Sai in judicial custody in connection with a case in which he is accused of hatching a conspiracy to bribe police and judicial officials to weaken the rape case against him.

Principal District and Sessions Judge I C Shah rejected police's plea to extend his custody with them for four more days, saying police's contention to carry on further interrogation of Sai lacked new grounds.

Crime Branch officials had stumbled upon the bribe plan while grilling Sai in connection with the rape case lodged against him by a city-based woman.

The plan, allegedly drafted at the behest of Sai, entailed bribing police, doctors and even judicial officers so as to make the rape case against him less stringent.

Police later arrested six persons, including sub-inspector C K Kumbhani, and seized Rs 5 crore from various persons.

Sai is accused of repeatedly raping a woman inmate of Surat Ashram between 2002 and 2005.

After evading the law for nearly two months in connection with the rape case, Sai was arrested on December 4 from Delhi-Haryana border after police chased his car.

Sai was booked under various IPC sections of rape, unnatural sex, molestation, wrongful confinement, unlawful assembly, rioting and criminal intimidation on the complaint of the woman.