Gujarat’s self-styled Godman Asaram Bapu (83), who is undergoing varying jail terms, including life sentence awarded for rape of a 16-year old minor girl in his Ashram, has sought bail of two months from the Supreme Court to undergo treatment at an Ayurvedic centre near Haridwar in Uttarakhand.
His case was on Friday listed for further hearing by a vacation Bench of Justices Bhushan R Gavai and Krishna Murari, which issued notice to the Rajasthan government since Asaram alias Ashumal is jailed in Jodhpur.
The Bench, however, orally observed that it was not inclined to grant interim bail to Asaram to get “holistic” treatment for his multiple ailments at a medical centre of his choice. He came to the top court in an appeal against the Rajasthan High Court order on May 21, dismissing his plea to suspend the sentences for the treatment.
Asaram has been moving applications for bail before various courts since his arrest in 2013, but without success. He was hospitalised in AIIMS for treatment of Covid-19 and taken back to jail after recovery.
“I am here for interim bail. I am an 83-year-old man serving life term and there has been history of medical ailments,” argued his lawyer while pleading for two months’ bail to recuperate. “This is the limited relief which I am seeking. Today he needs holistic treatment,” the lawyer said.
He said Asaram wanted to be treated at Prakash Deep Institute of Ayurved which is located between Haridwar and Rishikesh in Uttarakhand.
Languishing in Jodhpur central jail since 2013, the self-styled Godman was sentenced to life imprisonment in April 2018 by a Jodhpur court for raping a teenaged girl from Shahjahanpur in Uttar Pradesh. His accomplices Sharad and Shilpi were sentenced to 20 years in jail by the court in the same case for their roles. Asaram is separately undergoing a 20-year jail in a 2002 rape case. He was arrested from Indore and brought to Jodhpur on September 1, 2003 and since then he has been in judicial custody.
Surjitt sahani
