The Supreme Court on Tuesday granted interim bail to self-styled ‘godman’ Asaram Bapu till March 31 on medical grounds, subject to certain conditions, including a restriction on meeting his followers while outside jail. Asaram was arrested by Jodhpur Police on August 31, 2013, in a rape case and has been in jail since then. A teenage girl had accused him of sexual assault at his ashram in Manai village near Jodhpur. The girl belonging to Shahjahanpur in Uttar Pradesh was a student at the ashram. The godman has been a heart patient and has previously suffered a heart attack, according to medical reports. The Supreme Court has directed that law enforcement officials be deployed during the period of his bail to ensure supervision.
The Supreme Court’s order comes six days after Asaram, whose real name is Asumal Sirumalani Harpalani, returned to Rajasthan’s Jodhpur jail after being released on a 17-day parole.A Jodhpur court in April 2018 sentenced Asaram Bapu to life in prison after finding him guilty of raping a minor in his ashram in 2013. He was also convicted by a Gujarat court in January 2023 for raping a Surat-based woman at an ashram in 2013.Last year, the top court had sought a reply from the Gujarat government on a plea filed by Asaram seeking suspension of the life sentence imposed on him by a trial court in the 2013 rape case.