Patna, April 22: A Bihar court has taken congnizance of a defamation case lodged against self-styled spiritual guru Asaram Bapu and two others by the administrator of the Bihar State Religious Trust Board.
Judicial Magistrate Divya Vashishtha yesterday took cognizance of the charges against Asaram Bapu, Swami Narendra Goswami and Jai Kumar Singh under section 500 (defamation), 508 (inducing a person to believe that he will be doomed by divine man’s curse, if he did not follow the divine man) and 120 (B) (criminal conspiracy) of the Indian Penal Code.
The court would decide issuing summons to the accused persons on April 24.
The administrator of the Bihar State Religious Trust Board Kishore Kunal had lodged a complaint in the court against the three persons on March 21, 2009, accusing them of organising a procession and using unparliamentary language to tarnish his image.
–PTI