In a major development to the self-styled godman Asaram Bapu case, the Supreme Court on Wednesday asked the Gujarat trial court to expedite proceedings urgently and finish the trail in a time-bound manner.
A bench comprising Chief Justice J S Khehar and Justices DY Chandrachud and SK Kaul asked the trial court to expedite evidence recording of prosecution witnesses in a sexual assault case against Asaram.
In February this year, the top court also slapped a fine of Rs.1 lakh on Asaram, and turned down his fresh plea for a bail on health grounds.
The apex court had in October last year sought response from the Centre as well as five states on a plea seeking a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe into attacks on ten witnesses in rape cases involving Asaram Bapu.
Asaram has been in jail since 2013 after a teenager accused him of sexually assaulting her during a celebration in a village near Jodhpur ashram.