Ahmedabad, May 10: The Justice D K Trivedi Commission, probing the mysterious death of two teenagers at a religious ashram here in 2008, on Monday issued an ultimatum to spiritual leader Asaram Bapu and his son Narayan Sai to appear before it by June 6.
The father-son duo failed to appear before the Commission on Monday despite summons issued against them for the third time.
Summons had been issued under the Commission of Enquiry Act, following an application by Prafful Waghela and Shantilal Waghela, parents of the deceased boys Dipesh and Abhishek, seeking questioning of Asaram Bapu and Narayan Sai.
The advocate representing the Waghelas, S H Iyer, said that Justice Trivedi also warned the counsel, representing the respondents--Asaram and Narayan Sai--that it could issue warrants against them if they fail to appear before it by June 6.
The counsels representing the duo had earlier sought their exemption from appearing before the panel on grounds that since one of their petitions was pending with the Supreme Court, they could appear before the Commission only after the petition is disposed off.
The Commission said it had already rejected this submission during the earlier hearing last month.
Asaram's lawyer B M Gupta on Monday submitted an application to call Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi as a witness as he had convinced the parents of the boys to break their fast in 2008.
The hearing on the application has been scheduled to May 12.
According to the case details, decomposed bodies of cousins Dipesh and Abhishek, studying in Asaram Bapu's ashram in Motera area here, were found on the banks of river Sabarmati on July 5, 2008, two days after they were reported missing by the ashram authorities.
Following the death of the two boys, protest rallies were held by the residents of the area where they lived, demanding justice.
Two strike calls were also given over the incident which saw instances of violence in some parts of the city and at the ashram in Motera.
The state government constituted the Justice D K Trivedi Commission to probe the death of the two boys and simultaneously handed over the probe to State CID but till date the mystery behind the deaths remains unsolved. PTI
