Wadi Swaminarayan Temple

Gujarat High Court has denied anticipatory bail to Wadi’s J P Swami alias Jagat Pawandas Swami in the rape case of a minor in Vadodara in 2016.

Around a decade ago, the priest of Wadi Swaminarayan Temple, associated with the Vadtal sect, allegedly abused and raped a 16-year-old daughter of his disciple.

On June 8, the girl, now 23 years old, lodged a complaint at Vadodara’s Wadi police station.

At that time, the accused Swami called around 10.30 pm on the survivor’s father’s mobile. Swami and the survivor used to chat through WhatsApp on her father’s phone.

On September 10, 2016, J P Swami asked the survivor to visit a room in the temple at night. Swami raped her in his room and threatened to kill her entire family if she disclosed the matter to anyone.

Later, Swami also blackmailed her and asked her to send obscene pictures and videos of her, to which she obliged under pressure.

Shockingly, a day after he raped her, Swami handed a contraceptive pill to her. As per his instructions, the survivor took the pill.

After being denied bail by a Vadodara court, Swami moved the HC. Here, he had pleaded, “The complainant has filed a false complaint. The complaint was filed eight years after the incident in question.”

Slamming his bail plea, the prosecution stated, “At the time of the incident, the girl was a minor (15 years old). The accused inflicted a heinous act upon her that tarnished the sanctity of a saint.”

The prosecution further argued, “There is strong evidence against the accused. A 92-page WhatsApp chat was also presented before the court, which established the relationship between J P Swami and the girl. Given the gravity of the crime against the accused, he should not be granted anticipatory bail under any circumstances, as there is a possibility of him fleeing the country.”

As per the complaint, it all began in 2014 when Jagat Pawan Swami, the then Kathori Swami of Wadi Swaminarayan temple used to stare at the survivor when she was studying in Class 10 and visited the temple.

The survivor and complainant who lodged an FIR after eight years said, “I did not tell about this to my parents as the Swami had my obscene videos and photos. I did not complain as I lacked the source. My parents are unaware of this complaint.”

According to reports, J P Swami discontinued contact with the survivor after his transfer from Wadi on November 30, 2019.

Agreeing with the arguments made by the prosecution, the HC dismissed Swami’s bail plea.

Also read:

Swaminarayan temple priest rapes, blackmails girl, complaint filed after eight years