The Gujarat High Court granted six-month bail to rape convict Asaram Bapu on medical grounds, citing his advanced age and worsening heart condition. The court said Gujarat “cannot take a different view” after Rajasthan HC had given similar relief.
The Gujarat High Court on Thursday granted six-month bail to self-styled godman Asaram Bapu, who was convicted in a 2013 rape case, considering his old age and worsening heart condition. The decision comes in line with the Rajasthan High Court’s earlier order, which had also given similar relief to Asaram on medical grounds.
A division bench of Justice I J Vora and Justice R T Vachhani said that Asaram, who is now 86 years old, has a constitutional right to medical treatment, and his serious health problems make it necessary to give him temporary bail.
The court observed that since the Jodhpur High Court had already granted him bail on the same medical grounds, Gujarat “cannot take a different view.”
The judges further stated that if the appeal hearing in the 2013 rape case does not move forward in the next six months, Asaram can apply for an extension of bail.
The bench also clarified that if the Rajasthan government challenges the Jodhpur order, then the Gujarat government will have the right to contest this relief too.
During the hearing, the state counsel informed the court that if medical facilities in Jodhpur Jail are not enough, Asaram could be shifted to Sabarmati Jail in Ahmedabad, where advanced medical treatment can be arranged for him.
However, the hearing saw strong opposition from the survivor’s lawyer, who accused Asaram of pretending to be ill.
The lawyer told the court that the self-proclaimed godman, despite claiming serious health issues, has been travelling between Ahmedabad, Jodhpur, Indore, and other cities without any long hospital stays.
The lawyer further argued that Asaram was
“seen journeying from Rishikesh to Maharashtra”
and is currently getting Ayurvedic treatment in Jodhpur, which proves that
“he is not suffering from any life-athreatening condition.”
The case goes back to a complaint filed by a woman from Surat, who alleged that Asaram sexually assaulted her multiple times at his Motera Ashram in Ahmedabad between 1997 and 2006.
The FIR, first registered in Surat in 2013, was later transferred to Gandhinagar, where a sessions court convicted Asaram in January 2023 and sentenced him to life imprisonment.
This latest order gives Asaram temporary relief, but his legal troubles continue as both state governments may contest the decision depending on how the case progresses in the coming months.
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