SEJAL PRAJAPATI.

▮ Identity sealed · POCSO §23

Henchman, Asaram devotee (sadhak); wife of Basav Raju

Ahmedabad, Gujarat

“Sejal Prajapati is an Asaram Bapu devotee who was charged as an accomplice in the witness intimidation and murder plots. Alongside her husband Basav Raju, Prajapati was accused of providing funding and logistical support to the hit squad before being detained.”

Sejal Prajapati was an active member of the Sant Shri Asaramji Bapu Ashram in Gujarat, working alongside her husband, Basav Raju (Basavraj Avanna Talloi), in various volunteer and administrative roles. Following the arrest of Asaram Bapu in 2013, Prajapati became involved in a covert group of dedicated followers who sought to protect the godman by targeting former insiders and prosecution witnesses.

Police investigations into the witness murders revealed that Prajapati and her husband worked closely with the contract killer Kartik Haldar. The prosecution alleged that Prajapati helped manage a secret fund containing over Rs 25 lakh collected from devotees, which was used to purchase weapons, fund safe houses, and pay Haldar for executing the murders of Amrut Prajapati, Akhil Gupta, and Kripal Singh. She was arrested by the Gujarat Police in late 2015.

During her interrogation and subsequent detention, Prajapati's legal team filed bail applications, arguing that she had no direct role in the planning or execution of the physical attacks and was being implicated primarily due to her husband's activities. The courts initially rejected her bail pleas, citing the gravity of the conspiracy charges and the risk of witness intimidation, keeping her in judicial custody during the early phases of the trial.

Prajapati remains a co-accused in the ongoing conspiracy trial in Gujarat. Her case is often cited by investigators as an example of the active involvement of female devotees in executing the illegal and violent designs of the cult's leadership. She continues to face trial under the Indian Penal Code for criminal conspiracy and abetment to murder.