New Delhi,
Questioning the Gujarat Government over the slow pace of trial in a rape case against self-styled godman Asaram, the Supreme Court on Monday wondered why the victims had not been examined so far.

A Bench headed by Justice NV Ramanna asked the state government to file an affidavit explaining the delay and posted it for hearing after Diwali.

The top court had on April 12 asked the trial court to expedite the recording of evidence of prosecution witnesses in a rape case lodged against Asaram by two sisters from Surat in Gujarat. It had asked the trial court to record the testimonies of 46 remaining prosecution witnesses, including the victims.

Earlier, the Supreme Court had refused to grant bail to Asaram — who had claimed poor health as ground and produced certain fake documents. It had expressed concern over the trial getting unnecessarily prolonged as two prosecution witnesses had been killed and many others attacked.

There are two separate rape cases lodged in Rajasthan and Gujarat against Asaram, who has been in jail since his arrest on August 31, 2013, by the Jodhpur police.

Dismissing his bail plea on January 30, the top court said Asaram had placed a “fictitious document” to persuade the court to grant him bail and had ordered registration of an FIR against those responsible for preparing and filing the alleged fake papers.

The complainant sisters had also accused Asaram’s son Narayan Sai of rape and illegal confinement.

The elder sister, in her complaint against Asaram, had accused him of repeated sexual assaults between 2001 and 2006 when she was staying at his ashram near Ahmedabad.