An Indian guru with millions of followers was sentenced to life in prison yesterday for raping a teenage devotee on the pretext of ridding her of evil spirits, his lawyer said, reports AFP from Jodhpur.

Asaram Bapu, one of India’s most charismatic and controversial “godmen”, was given the maximum sentence at a closed jailhouse hearing in Rajasthan state, where hundreds of police were on high alert for a backlash from his disciples.