The Rajasthan High Court on Tuesday granted interim bail to Asaram Bapu (86) in the 2013 rape case. The Supreme Court had earlier granted interim bail to Asaram Bapu, who is serving a life sentence for raping a female follower, till March 31 on health grounds. This decision by the High Court follows the Supreme Court’s order for interim bail.
A bench comprising Justices Dinesh Mehta and Vineet Kumar Mathur of the Rajasthan High Court granted a temporary stay of sentence (SOS) on medical grounds, Asaram’s lawyers said. This marks the first time Asaram has been released on bail since his arrest 12 years ago in 2013.
“We had filed a regular SOS application, but the Supreme Court had also granted him a temporary SOS. Although we filed a regular SOS application in the Gujarat case, we emphasized medical grounds and sought bail till March 31, which was granted by the Supreme Court,” Asaram’s lawyer Nishant Bora told The Indian Express.
Bora stated, “We argued that he (Asaram Bapu) is 86 years old, suffering from multiple ailments, and has been hospitalized many times. He has also been granted parole multiple times for treatment. We pointed out that the Supreme Court’s permission was granted solely on the basis of age and illness. Therefore, if such an order is not issued by this court, the Supreme Court’s order would be rendered ineffective.” The court accepted this argument and ruled that Asaram would be released, subject to the conditions set by the Supreme Court.
Asaram is prohibited from meeting his followers, delivering sermons, or speaking to the media. These conditions, imposed by the Supreme Court, will remain in effect during the bail period. Additionally, Asaram has been assigned three security guards, and if he travels outside Jodhpur, he will be responsible for their accommodation and other expenses, Bora added.
Since August last year, Asaram Bapu has been granted parole and several extensions to visit a hospital in Pune. However, unlike parole, there will be no restrictions on his movements while on bail. He is currently undergoing treatment at a Jodhpur hospital while in custody. Asaram was sentenced to life imprisonment by a Jodhpur court in April 2018 after being convicted of raping a 16-year-old girl at one of his ashrams in 2013.
