On Friday, March 1, the Supreme Court dismissed Asaram Bapu’s plea seeking the suspension of his sentence due to health reasons. Asaram, who is currently serving a prison term in a rape case, had appealed for relief, citing health concerns. However, the Court, after due consideration, declined his request.
NEW DELHI: On Friday (1st March), the Supreme Court rejected the plea of self-proclaimed spiritual leader Asaram Bapu, currently serving a prison term in a rape case, requesting the suspension of his sentence based on health grounds.
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During the hearing presided over by Justice Sanjiv Khanna and Justice Dipankar Datta, Asaram’s legal counsel proposed that his client be prepared to accept the conditions outlined by the Public Prosecutor. This included receiving medical treatment at Madhavbaug Heart Hospital in Maharashtra’s Khopoli while under police custody.
The bench, however, advised Asaram’s counsel to pursue relief through the Rajasthan High Court, emphasizing that any such application would be duly reviewed by legal protocols.
Justice Khanna highlighted deliberate attempts made by Asaram to prolong the appeal process against his conviction and sentence, emphasizing the urgency of the matter. The Supreme Court directed for an expedited hearing of his appeal by the high court, considering Asaram’s purported health ailments, including multiple heart attacks, anemia with gastrointestinal bleeding, and other age-related issues.
BACKGROUND
Asaram, also known as Asumal Harpalani, was convicted by a Special POCSO Court in Jodhpur in 2018 for various sexual offenses, including the rape of a minor girl within his ashram premises in 2013. Additionally, he received a life sentence in 2023 for another rape case involving a 33-year-old woman in 2013.
In his plea submitted through advocate Rajesh Gulab Inamdar, Asaram cited over 11 years and 7 months of custody in the case, emphasizing the deterioration of his health condition. Since his arrest in 2013, he has remained in custody, initially apprehended in Indore and subsequently transported to Jodhpur following accusations of raping a teenage girl at his ashram.
The teenager alleged that Asaram assaulted her at his ashram in Manai, near Jodhpur, on the night of August 15, 2013, initiating the legal proceedings that led to his conviction and subsequent imprisonment.
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