The Gujarat High Court has issued notice on Narayan Sai’s temporary bail plea to meet his ailing mother, filed in his pending appeal against a 2019 rape conviction and life sentence.
Ahmedabad: The Gujarat High Court on Tuesday issued notice to the State and sought a status report on a plea by Narayan Sai, convicted in 2019 by a Surat court for rape and sentenced to life imprisonment, seeking temporary bail to visit his ailing mother [Narayan @ Narayan Sai v. State of Gujarat].
A Division Bench of Justice Bhargav D. Karia and Justice Hemant M. Prachchhak made the notice returnable on November 27, 2026, the date on which his main criminal appeal is also listed.
The order
“Issue notice. Returnable on November 27. Learned APP waives service of notice for respondents.”
Counsel for Sai sought an earlier date, citing his mother’s health and submitting that Sai himself suffers from multiple ailments. The Bench kept the application with the appeal on November 27.
The conviction
The Sessions Court, Surat convicted Sai on April 30, 2019 under Sections 376(2)(f), 376(2)(k), 376(2)(n), 377, 354, 323, 504 and 506(2) of the IPC and sentenced him to rigorous imprisonment for life. He has been in custody since December 2013. His appeal against the conviction is pending before the High Court.
In May this year, a coordinate Bench dismissed his plea for suspension of the life sentence, observing prima facie that he was not interested in an early hearing of the appeal and had adopted delaying tactics.
Why the order matters
Temporary bail on humanitarian grounds, such as a parent’s illness, is considered separately from suspension of sentence and does not involve any view on the merits of the conviction. Courts weigh the genuineness of the ground, the gravity of the offence and the convict’s conduct, including any earlier findings on delay. The State’s status report will shape that assessment.
The survivor in the case is not identified, in keeping with the law on anonymity in sexual offence cases.
Case Title: Narayan @ Narayan Sai v. State of Gujarat
Case No.: CR.MA/2/2026 in R/CR.A/1756/2019
Bench: Justice Bhargav D. Karia and Justice Hemant M. Prachchhak, Gujarat High Court
Date of Order: November 3, 2026
Next Date: November 27, 2026