Even as security has been heightened in Jodhpur ahead of the verdict in the rape case of 'godman' Asaram Bapu, expected to be delivered on Wednesday, followers of the spiritual leader have been asked to engage in prayers and chants for his discharge.
In a post on Tuesday, the official Facebook page of Asaram Bapu instructs his followers to commence prayers and chants for his release from 5am on Wednesday. The verdict could be delivered before noon.
Asaram's ashram in New Delhi has issued a press note, asking his followers to desist from violence and avoid travelling to Jodhpur.
Meanwhile, the verdict is expected to be delivered in the premises of Jodhpur Central Jail itself, following orders from the Rajasthan High Court. The police had imposed prohibitory orders in Jodhpur from April 21 to 30 and began conducting searches of hotels, bus stands and railway stations to prevent his followers from gathering.
Asaram is facing charges of having a raped a minor who was studying at his ashram in Chhindwara in Madhya Pradesh in August 2013. Asaram has been in custody since September 2013.
The Rajasthan government is likely to have been prompted to tighten security as a pre-emptive measure after criticism of the BJP government in Haryana for not curbing rioting by followers of another godman, Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh, after his conviction in a rape case in August last year.
(With PTI inputs)