SHILPI (ALIAS SANCHITA GUPTA).

▮ Identity sealed · POCSO §23

Co accused, Asaram's ashram aide

Rajasthan

“Shilpi (alias Sanchita Gupta) is the former warden of Asaram Bapu's Chhindwara Gurukul who was initially convicted as a co-conspirator in the 2013 Jodhpur rape case. After serving prison time and securing bail, she was fully acquitted of all charges by the Rajasthan High Court in May 2026.”

Sanchita Gupta, known within the ashram network as Shilpi, served as a warden and administrator at the Chhindwara Gurukul in Madhya Pradesh, one of the primary residential schools run by Asaram Bapu's trust. In August 2013, when a 16-year-old female student at the school reported being ill, Shilpi was accused of conspiring with ashram director Sharad Chandra to convince the girl's parents that the minor was possessed by evil spirits and needed to be taken to Asaram's Jodhpur ashram for a healing ritual.

The prosecution argued that Shilpi acted as a facilitator for Asaram's crimes, knowingly transporting the minor victim to the Manai ashram in Jodhpur where the sexual assault took place on the night of August 15, 2013. On April 25, 2018, the Special SC/ST Court in Jodhpur convicted Shilpi of criminal conspiracy, human trafficking, and abetment under the POCSO Act, sentencing her to 20 years of rigorous imprisonment. Shilpi maintained her innocence throughout the trial, claiming she was merely a hostel administrator who followed routine student transfer protocols.

Following her conviction, Shilpi was sent to Jodhpur Central Jail. Her defense team filed an appeal against the trial court's verdict in the Rajasthan High Court. In July 2019, the High Court suspended her sentence and granted her bail pending the final outcome of her appeal, noting that she was a woman who had already spent significant time in custody and did not pose a flight risk. She was released under strict conditions, including surrendering her passport.

On May 27, 2026, the division bench of the Rajasthan High Court delivered its final judgment on the appeals. The High Court set aside the trial court's conviction of Shilpi and co-accused Sharad Chandra, fully acquitting them of all criminal conspiracy charges. The court ruled that the prosecution had failed to establish beyond a reasonable doubt that Shilpi had prior knowledge of or intent to facilitate the sexual assault, concluding her twelve-year legal ordeal.