gujarat-hc-extends-asaram-bapu-s-bail-till-sept-3

The Gujarat High Court on Tuesday extended until September 3 the temporary bail granted to self-styled godman Asaram Bapu, who was convicted in a 2013 rape case and sentenced to life imprisonment by a Gandhinagar court.

 

The division bench of Justices Ilesh Vora and P M Raval extended Asaram's temporary bail, which was due to end on August 21, until September 3 when it will next take up the matter.

 

The Rajasthan High Court is scheduled to hear his interim bail plea in another rape case on August 29. On its direction, Asaram underwent a medical check-up at the Ahmedabad-based Civil Hospital on Monday.

 

Earlier, the Gujarat High Court had extended his interim bail until August 21, mainly on medical grounds after noting that he was admitted to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) at a private hospital and his health condition was critical.

 

On July 30, the Supreme Court granted Asaram the liberty to approach the Gujarat High Court for an extension of temporary bail, primarily citing his deteriorating health.

 

The court had earlier granted him interim bail until July 7 and later extended the relief for another month. While granting him the extension, the court clarified that no further plea for temporary bail extension would be entertained on medical grounds.

 

Asaram had first approached the High Court after the interim bail granted to him by the Supreme Court until March 31 on medical grounds was about to expire, as the apex court had directed him to do so if he required an extension.

 

The division bench of the High Court had then delivered a split verdict, following which a third judge, to whom the matter was referred, granted him three months’ temporary bail.

 

In January 2023, a Gandhinagar court sentenced Asaram to life imprisonment in the rape case.

 

He is also serving a life sentence in another case of raping a minor girl at his ashram in Rajasthan in 2013.

 

The Gandhinagar court convicted Asaram in a case registered in 2013 for repeatedly raping a woman disciple from Surat between 2001 and 2006 while she was living at his ashram in Motera near Ahmedabad.

 

He was convicted under sections 376(2)(c) (rape), 377 (unnatural offences), 342 (wrongful confinement), 354 (assault or criminal force to woman with intent to outrage her modesty), 357 (assault) and 506 (criminal intimidation) of the Indian Penal Code.