INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
Kathmandu, September 25
The Patan High Court convicted so- called Buddhist spiritual guruRinpoche Chhulthim Dorje Yontan Yongaj Tulku Lama
aka Tulku Lama of rape and slapped a jail term of seven years on him.
The court also ordered Lama to pay three million rupees as
compensation to the victim described as CIB 224 in the charge sheet
This is the first time that the court had ordered the victim to pay such a huge amount of compensation to a rape victim.
The verdict was
passed by a division bench of judges Tek Narayan Kunwar and Ramesh Bahadur Thapa.
Patan High Court struck down Kathmandu District Court 31
August 2018 verdict that acquitted Tulku Lama of rape charges
The defendant, who is in his late 50s held the victim hostage for more than nine years at a monastery operated by him in Chalnakhel,
Dakshinkali Municipality-10 and raped her repeatedly, the court observed
According to case files, the convict took thepictures of his sexual assault and threatened the victim of putting those pictures on facebook
if she lodged complaint against him.
Given the sufferings faced by rape victims, no monetary compensation can adequately compensate the
According to the charge sheet, Lama used to molest and rape his followers, saying his divine powers could cure all kinds of illnesses
Lama, who originally hails from Kuesheshwor Dumja-9 of Sindhuli, had been operating the monastery for the past 10 years
The monastery housed several women and his followers came to him with various problems in the hope that ‘his divine powers& could give
them a respite.
Rejecting Lama claim that the victim was his wife, the court said Lama had already been married and despite his claim of
marrying the victim, he did not have marriage certificate or anything that could establish marital relations between him and the
victim.
&How can the defendant, who claims to be the reincarnation of Guru Rinpoche, tie the marital knot? The court cannot accept the
argument that the victim who is27 years junior to the defendant could not find her match and accepted the defendant as her husband,& the
The court said as per new laws even husband cannot have sexual relations with his spouse without her consent.
The court said defendant
committed rape as he coerced the victim to have physical relations with him, saying she was his wife in their past lives and she should
remain his wife in this life also
&Whether somebody has physical relations with a woman without her consent for one time or for years, that is a crime of rape,& the court
said, adding, &In a rape case, the victim should be treated as a key witness and her statement should be considered direct and decisive
evidence.&
The court has also quoted the conviction of Indian Gurus Asharam Bapu and Gurmit Ram Rahim
The court also mentioned one of the Dalai Lama speeches delivered in Netherlands recently where he said he had been aware for last 25 years
that women were being sexually exploited by some Buddhist Gurus
The victim who started living in the monastery since May 2009 stayed there for almost 10 years.
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of rape appeared first on The Himalayan Times.
