Self-styled godman Asaram Bapu on Tuesday (August 27) sought more time from Jodhpur police for appearing before it in connection with sexual assault charges against him even as he dismissed the allegations as being "baseless". The 72-year-old godman, who personally received the police summons in Indore for questioning in the case, claimed he had been framed as part of a conspiracy. "The allegations levelled against me are dirty and baseless and I have been framed as part of a conspiracy," Asaram told reporters at his ashram here. However, he did not elaborate on the conspiracy angle and neither did he take any names. Asaram claimed at the time of the alleged incident, he was not present in his Jodhpur ashram, but was in a hut in solitude.

Responding to a query related to the charges, he said, "At present I am not planning to apply for an anticipatory bail, but will take a call on it depending upon the situation". Earlier in the day, Asaram made the team of Jodhpur police, which had arrived to hand him the summons, wait for over six hours with his followers saying he was meditating. The notice directed him to appear before Jodhpur police by August 30 for questioning in connection with the charges levelled against him by a 16-year-old girl. However, citing prior engagements till Aug. 31, Asaram sought more time to appear before the police. Meanwhile, a young woman, Ashvini, claimed that when she spoke to the complainant over the phone a few days back, the latter had told her that she had filed the complaint against Asaram upon instructions from her parents. The victim later disconnected the call, she said.

In a debate moderated by TIMES NOW's Editor-in-Chief Arnab Goswami, panelists -- Neelam Dubey, Spokesperson, Asaram Bapu; Satyapal Jain, Head Legal Cell, BJP; Kailash Vijayvargiya, Senior Cabinet Minister MP; Manisha Priyam, Political Analyst; Kirti Singh, Legal Convenor, All India Democratic Women's Association; Sudhir Tailang, Cartoonist and Amee Yajnik, Leade