'He's in our hearts': Family and friends still seek answers one year after Nathan Wise’s disappearance
It’s been a year since Nathan Wise went missing and his family is no closer to finding out what happened to him.
An Indian court on Tuesday sentenced self-proclaimed spiritual guru Asaram Bapu to life imprisonment on charges of rape and sodomy, according to his lawyer.
The verdict is the second life term against the octogenarian, who is already serving a life sentence following his 2018 conviction for raping a 16-year-old girl.
Asaram's lawyer C.B. Gupta told CNN the court in the western state of Gujarat also ordered him to pay 50,000 rupees (about US$600) in compensation to the victim.
"We may appeal the judgment in the high court," the lawyer said.
Asaram, 81, described on his website as a "spiritual revolutionist" and "great teacher," is one of India's best-known spiritual gurus.
Known as "Bapuji" or "father" among his followers, he rose to prominence in the 1970s before building a vast religious empire that includes hundreds of thousands of followers, about 400 religious schools across India, and numerous global outreach programs.
The latest ruling against him comes at a time when India's poor track record on violence has been under the spotlight.
Last August, an Indian court freed 11 Hindu men who had been sentenced to life for the gang-rape of a pregnant Muslim woman during deadly riots in 2002, angering rights groups and activists.
On average, there is one rape reported every 17 minutes in India, according to government figures. Campaigners say deeply-entrenched misogynistic and patriarchal values in the country of 1.3 billion are partly to blame.
Spiritual gurus in India can draw millions of devotees to religious schools known as ashrams that are spread across the country.
In recent years, sexual assault accusations against some of these gurus have sparked violent skirmishes.
After Asaram was arrested in 2013 on the first rape charge, clashes broke out between his supporters and police in several major cities.
In 2019, Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh, head of the spiritual sect Dera Sacha Sauda, was sentenced to life in prison for the 2002 murder of a journalist who helped expose the sexual abuse of women within his group. The guru was already serving a life sentence for raping two of his followers.
After the first verdict against Singth, riots erupted that left 36 people dead and hundreds injured.
It’s been a year since Nathan Wise went missing and his family is no closer to finding out what happened to him.
Dozens of Ontarians are expressing frustration in the province’s health-care system after their family doctors either dropped them as patients or threatened to after they sought urgent care elsewhere.
An Ottawa pizzeria is being recognized as one of the top 20 deep-dish pizzas in the world.
Amazon's paid subscription service provides free delivery for online shopping across Canada except for remote locations, the company said in an email. While customers in Iqaluit qualify for the offer, all other communities in Nunavut are excluded.
The fire burning near Fort McMurray grew from 25 hectares to 5,500 hectares over the weekend.
Russia’s President Vladimir Putin began a Cabinet shakeup on Sunday, proposing the replacement of Sergei Shoigu as defence minister as he begins his fifth term in office.
Police are searching for a male suspect after a man was “slashed in neck” on Sunday morning in downtown Toronto and died.
There were some scary moments for several people on a northern Ontario highway caught on video Thursday after a chain reaction following a truck fire.
Health Canada announced various product recalls this week, including electric adapters, armchairs, cannabis edibles and vehicle components.
English, history, entertainment, math and geography: high school trivia teams could be quizzed on any of it when they compete at the Reach for the Top Nationals in Ottawa in June.
An Ottawa pizzeria is being recognized as one of the top 20 deep-dish pizzas in the world.
A family of fifth generation farmers from Ituna, Sask. are trying to find answers after discovering several strange objects lying on their land.
A Listowel, Ont. man, drafted by the Hamilton Tigercats last week, is also getting looks from the NFL, despite only playing 27 games of football in his life.
The threat of zebra mussels has prompted the federal government to temporarily ban watercraft from a Manitoba lake popular with tourists.
A small Ajax dessert shop that recently received a glowing review from celebrity food critic Keith Lee is being forced to move after a zoning complaint was made following the social media influencer’s visit last month.
The Canada Science and Technology Museum is inviting visitors to explore their poop. A new exhibition opens at the Ottawa museum on Friday called, 'Oh Crap! Rethinking human waste.'
The Regina Police Service says it is the first in Saskatchewan and possibly Canada to implement new technology in its detention facility that will offer real-time monitoring of detainees’ vital health metrics.
Just as she had feared, a restaurant owner from eastern Quebec who visited Montreal had her SUV stolen, but says it was all thanks to the kindness of strangers on the internet — not the police — that she got it back.