Asaram denies involvement in Rs 700 cr land grab case in MP

Self-styled godman Asaram Bapu on Thursday denied the involvement of himself and any of his family members or the ashram run by him in a Rs 700 crore land grab case of Madhya Pradesh and claimed that reports suggesting the same were "baseless" and "untenable".

"The land in Ratlam district is controlled by a company Jayant Vitamins Limited in which neither I nor my son Narain Sai are stakeholders. Even if it had been grabbed illegally, there could have been no ground for our prosecution.

"It is being said that the Serious Fraud Investigating Office (SFIO) has recommended our prosecution. Such reports are baseless and untenable," Asaram told reporters in Allahabad.

The godman, who has been holding discourses with a lot of fanfare at the ongoing Maha Kumbh Mela ground here, said, "To the best of our knowledge, JVL's Managing Director Prerna Ben Thakur had established a trust for establishing a temple called Mangalya Mandir on the piece of land. Narayan Sai was, in fact, one of the trustees. But how does that make him or me or our ashram a party to land grab".

He claimed that the entire country knows about his commitment to charitable activities and his contribution to the overall uplift of the society.