Supreme Court grants bail to godman Asaram Bapu on medical grounds

The Supreme Court has grants interim bail to self-styled godman Asaram Bapu on medical grounds till March 31 in connection with a 2013 rape case. Asaram has been serving a life imprisonment sentence at Jodhpur Central Jail in a sexual assault case.

To note, the self-styled godman had returned to Jodhpur Central Jail on January 2, 2025, after completing a 17-day parole that began on December 18, 2024. During the parole, he reportedly underwent treatment in Pune.

Earlier, on November 22, 2024, the Supreme Court had issued a notice to the Gujarat government regarding a plea filed by Asaram seeking suspension of his life sentence. The apex court clarified that it would only consider his plea based on medical grounds while reviewing his case.

In January 2023, a sessions court in Gandhinagar had convicted Asaram under various provisions of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) for the rape of a female disciple at his Surat ashram in 2013.

Later, in August 2023, the Gujarat High Court dismissed his appeal against the trial court's verdict, declining to suspend his life imprisonment sentence. Following the High Court's decision, Asaram approached the Supreme Court, seeking release from jail.

Asaram was previously arrested in Indore and brought to Jodhpur in connection with the rape of a teenage girl at his ashram in 2013. According to the victim, she was summoned to the ashram near Jodhpur and sexually assaulted by Asaram on the night of August 15, 2013.

More details awaited.