Rajasthan High Court Grants Interim Bail To Asaram Bapu Till March 31 For Health Treatment

The Rajasthan High Court, on Tuesday, granted interim bail to Asaram Bapu, a self-styled godman who is serving life imprisonment in a rape case. This comes a week after the Supreme Court granted him bail till March 31 in another rape case, observing that he suffered from various ailments and needed treatment.

Soon after the top court granted him relief on medical grounds, Asaram’s counsels moved a suspension of sentence plea in the high court.

The order was issued by a bench comprising Justice Dinesh Mehta and Justice Vinit Kumar Mathur. Asaram has been granted bail by the high court, on the same condition given by the Apex Court, this includes that he is not allowed to meet his followers after he has been released.

He was sentenced to life imprisonment in April 2018 for raping a minor at his Jodhpur ashram in 2013. Later in a separate case, a woman from Asaram’s Gandhinagar ashram accused him of rape. On January 31, 2023, he was sentenced to life imprisonment in the case.

The bench clarified that the relief was granted on humanitarian grounds and instructed adherence to the conditions imposed during the bail period. Asaram’s medical status could be reassessed as the bail term nears its expiration.

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In the top Court, Senior Advocate Devadatt Kamat, along with Advocates Rajesh Gulab Inamdar and Shashwat Anand, representing Asaram presented both on merits and medical grounds. They pointed out inconsistencies in the prosecution’s case and contended that the conviction was based solely on the uncorroborated testimony of the prosecution.

“We argued that the plea was similar in nature to that filed in the Supreme Court and the grounds stand valid in this case as well,” Asaram’s counsel Nishant Bora said.

He said the conditions for Asaram’s interim bail are the same as those set by the apex court on January 7 except one.

If Asaram has to travel outside of Jodhpur, he will have to bear the expenses of the three constables who are going to accompany him.

Last year, in March, the Supreme Court dismissed Bapu’s plea challenging the Rajasthan High Court’s order regarding his conviction in another rape case.

Subsequently, he approached the Rajasthan High Court, which permitted him to receive ayurvedic treatment at the ‘Arogayadham Center’ in Jodhpur under police custody in March 2024. He was then granted parole on December 18, last year, for 15 days, with an additional 2 days for travel to undergo treatment.