Religious Guru Sentenced to Prison for Sexual Molestation in US


Houston, Mar 9, (PTI): A US jury on Wednesday sentenced an elderly Hindu religious leader to 14 years in prison and fined a USD 10,000 on each of 20 counts of molesting two girls who grew up on the ashram he founded and led in Central Texas.

Prakashanand Saraswati, known to his devotees as Shree Swamiji and head of the 200-acre Hindu ashram in Texas, was sentenced by a Hays County jury after he failed to appear before it for the punishment phase of his trial.

District Judge Charles Ramsay will decide later whether 82-year-old Swamiji's prison sentences are to be served concurrently.

Last week the jury found Swamiji guilty of indecency with a child by sexual contact, based on his repeated groping of two teenagers whose families lived at the ashram he founded southwest of Austin.

Now 27 and 30 years old, the women brought charges against the Swamiji three years ago, saying he molested them on the Barsana Dham ashram in Driftwood in the mid-1990s while they were in their teens.

The parent organisation to which Swamiji's Barsana Dham ashram belongs owns and operates temples and hospitals in India and other countries.

Meanwhile, the search for the guru, missing since Sunday evening, continued with police reporting no new leads as to his whereabouts. Prakashanand is thought to be traveling with his longtime assistant and caregiver, Vishwambhari Devi. A warrant has been issued for his arrest.

Earlier, prosecutors asked the jury to sentence Swamiji to 20 years in prison — 400 years total — for "each and every" one of the 20 criminal counts on which the guru was convicted of molesting two girls.

"This defendant is not a good candidate for probation because he can't even make it to the rest of the trial," said Hays County assistant district attorney Kathy Compton.

The Swamiji's defence attorneys told the court that their elderly client's various ailments — coronary disease, hypertension and back pain— make him too infirm to be in prison.

"To put him in a penitentiary setting at his age with these type of physical disabilities would be a death sentence for Swamiji," said Jeff Kearney, his lead attorney.

Spokesmen for the ashram that he founded in Driftwood say they don't know where he is.

Peter Spiegel, a wealthy devotee who posted a USD 1 million cash bond that was forfeited when Swamiji failed to appear in court yesterday, testified that he doesn't know the guru's whereabouts, either.

Spiegel also signed a USD 10 million indemnity agreement in 2008, in exchange for the court allowing Swamiji to travel abroad while he was awaiting trial.

However, the guru's passport was revoked last year.  

  

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Comment on this article

  • Manoj, Mangalore

    Thu, Mar 10 2011

    This golmaal swamiji & some preist calls themslef as FATHER both are same but some cases comes out. Punish them all.

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  • Shiva, Kota-Dubai

    Thu, Mar 10 2011

    Dear Godwin,

    Dont throw a stone to the well which gives you water

    Don't priase no problem but plese dont blame. plz dont get carried away by peoples comments/reports

    This US swamy is proved. Nityandas case is proved.

    Everybody is innocent unless/until he is proved guilty

    Still there are followers of nityanand. recently juhi chawla visited him on his b'day.

    please acccept all peoples faith sentiments graciously.

    Let us remember all of us one law of nature / karma, "as you sow so shall you reap"

    Once I got irritated with lottery ticket seller for Continuously inducing me to buy one lottery tkt. I told “ how much commission would you get on 1 tkt that I will give you cash” . He said NO. after few years when I was representing my company sales product , my customer got irritated and said “ I don’t want your product. I will give you commission that you get on this product” . I was seriously offended and came out realized that I had also acted in a same way by offending somebody.
    Quote-
    One day your life will flash before your eyes. Make sure its worth watching.”
    “Every man dies - Not every man really lives.”

    God bless you!

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  • R.T.SHETTY, mangalore

    Thu, Mar 10 2011

    SRI RAM NE KAHA HAI MAI MAUTH SE NAHIN DARTHA HOON BADNAMI SE DARTHA HOON.LEKIN AAJKAL KE SWAMIJI MAUTH SE DARTHE HAI BADNAMI SE NAHIN.

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  • thomas, mangalroe

    Thu, Mar 10 2011

    i dnt know swami is wrong or right..but i will tell..
    in US if any woman can screw man easily...especially in molsestation etc..bcos US law is some time looks like a joke...
    its not only happend to swami ..its happend to lot lot peoples.

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  • Ravi Kadri, Mangalore

    Thu, Mar 10 2011

    While I fully condom the exploitation of religion for the personal gain or use of religion to cover the criminal activities, I would also like to remind the readers here that there is a report/rumor of international plan by anti-Hindu organizations to tarnish the image of Hinduism by spreading defaming stories or news on Hindu religion and religious figures.

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  • Enid Albuquerque, Mangalore

    Thu, Mar 10 2011

    There is nothing special about this swamiji alone. It is human nature irrespective of religion. They are misleading and misusing people in the name of religion. So please do not point your finger towards any religion. It is the people who are bad and the religion itself.

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  • KRPrabhu, Mangalore

    Thu, Mar 10 2011

    Godwin Kamath,Mangalore/adubai
    Mr.Godwin Kamath it is better you change your name as Godhate Kamath.Think before writting anything against Sree Sathya Sai Baba.Don't fall prey to the international conspiracy to defame Hindu Gurus and India and BBC is a part of it.You just try to know what Satya Sai Baba has done in Andhra and Karnataka to the mankind.I am telling MANKIND.Free hopitals,free education,water to all house holds in desert like places,mission to see that there is no heart patient in his home district.Do you have any idea as to how many free open heart surgeries are done for poor patients in Satya Sai Hospitals in Andhra and in Bangalore.You will be astonished to know the facts.One more thing majority of his deciples are Christians from the West who come to him in search what they are getting in their country,bliss.Atleast don't hurt the feelings of noble souls.Your parents have gifted you a beautiful name.Please live up to the meaning of it.

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  • sunil shetty, Brisbane

    Wed, Mar 09 2011

    Miss Tina
    Real christians wont follow any Baba whether his name is satya or joota!
    All these people who have joined these Babas are those who were kicked out for being homosexuals, drug addicts and also some who wanted divorce from their partners for having affairs!When people get offended when priests say there is only one God and when some one believes there is more than one God, they just join these babas who believe in wordly peace of uniting black and white!
    If you are talking about hospitals and educational institutions than even our great Nitya Anandha swamy or baba has many too.
    BBC didnt spare christian or muslim fake babas, why would they spare our Hindu babas!
    what you are doing is just prejudice!

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  • Mohammed, Mangalore

    Wed, Mar 09 2011

    another nityananda

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  • naveen, udupi

    Wed, Mar 09 2011

    u r right mr stalin misquith. Even they arrested 21 church father also for the same reason in newyork.this very bad.

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  • John, Bantwal

    Wed, Mar 09 2011

    One more religious raising star of India !!!! Raised and locked in cell .. we proud of you …….???

    DisAgree Agree Reply Report Abuse

  • anamika, Mangalore

    Wed, Mar 09 2011

    Tina,Mumbai. what ever he (saibaba) did as you mentioned is not from his hard earned money. Those are from the donations of his followers all around the world. If he had done by himself alone , he can be claimed for the fame. He is just enjoying the fame on others cost. So it is baseless to attack Mr. Godwin Kamath. If you can't digest, thats your problem. Freedom of expression is every ones right

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  • Alban D Souza, Udyavara Mumbai Doha Qatar

    Wed, Mar 09 2011

    A religious leader does this in secrets is totally condemened whic is in lime light now as he is enjoying life in the name of religion rather than sacrificing for the sake of religion and its people. He has to repent and change his attitude as he representing a big religious group.

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  • Tina, Mumbai - Dubai

    Wed, Mar 09 2011

    Godwin Kamath, Mangalore/Dubai don't comment any unwanted on Sathya Sai Baba what he has done you can go to Andra and see HOSPITAL / EDUCATION INSTITUTION and even you can find more Christian than Indians in his ASHRAM which cannot be digested by BBC so uttering unwanted news and fools like you watch the same....JAI HIND

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  • anamika, Mangalore

    Wed, Mar 09 2011

    Ye Mr. Old swami.. if you can not control your physical lust. come out from your fake "Bhakthi" and marry a girl to lead a decent life. Don't do dirty things behind the curtain of "Kavi".

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  • Munna, Bengaluru

    Wed, Mar 09 2011

    is this a love ji-had?

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  • Godwin Kamath, Mangalore/Dubai

    Wed, Mar 09 2011

    What is the swamiji doing in US? Conversion, molestation? From where did he get the 200 acres? Attach the property and deport him back to where he came from after serving the sentence, if he is alive. Sathya Sai Baba was also exposed recently by BBC.

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  • Thukaram Kulkarni, Pune /Oman

    Wed, Mar 09 2011

    "NA IZZAT KI CHINTHA NA FIQAR KOI APMAN KI JAI BOLO BE-IMAAN KI JAI
    BOLO"

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  • Rathan, mangalore

    Wed, Mar 09 2011

    I totally agree with Yadav Shetty. These godmen feed off of our insecurities. We only need to be strong and put down all these people. Look at Egypt now, they kicked out Hosni and now they are having a inter religious fight, very similar to what we had in mangalore. Right or Wrong, I am no judge, but fundamentally it is the common man who got affected, mentally and physically. We all need to grow up some day and detach from all of this and make it our second or third priority. The first being respecting every individual.

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  • jason, mang

    Wed, Mar 09 2011

    i guess all the swamijis are on a sex spree(molestation andholan)haha just that its getting exposed one by one

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  • STALIN MISQUITH, BAHRAIN

    Wed, Mar 09 2011

    These Guru's are devils in the name of God. Sexual molestation is a big sin in every angle and it is against to all the religions. Guruji repent, end is near!!

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  • Thomas DMello, Kundapura

    Wed, Mar 09 2011

    Congrats to US judicialy.

    In India, this would take 10 years and still no justice done.

    By speedy judgements, the corruption could be minimised.

    Hope India follows it soon.

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  • shahnawaz kukkikatte, dubai/udupi

    Wed, Mar 09 2011

    There are black sheeps in every community. All gurus are not holy and saints. There sex gurus, bomb blast gurus, terrorising mullahs. Clerics should lead a life of denounciation and should not go after material wealth and worldly pleasure. But whats this, illegal, rape and all sorts of illegal activities are going on in these ashramas. All that glitters is not gold and all that is white is not milk. Its very easy for these sex gurus to trap young girls in the name of God. There are bhogis and not sanyasis... So everyone now must believe that the robe they wear has a purpose and a hidden agenda. Its upto the devotees to find out who is spiritual guru and who is sex guru....

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  • Yadav Shetty, mangalore

    Wed, Mar 09 2011

    These type of exposures will open the minds of people. These religious men are nothing more than mere mortals who are no better than any one of us. We have to overcome our weakness of letting them subduing us in the name of religion or god. I always believed that a god that I trust will always be on my side regardless of what I do. The effect of my actions is nothing related to god, it is just the nature of the environment, this is the human component which these so called holy men try to exploit.
    I am against every religion and every religious men. I even don't believe that these religious men should be given the chance to start schools, hospitals and ashrams. Everything should be by the people, off the people and for the people.

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