The Gujarat High Court on Friday extended the temporary bail of self-styled godman Asaram till July 7 in the 2013 case of rape for which he has been awarded a life sentence. The division bench of Justices Ilesh Vora and Sandeep Bhatt extended Asaram's temporary bail, which was on March 28 extended initially for three months, during the hearing of the plea.
Asaram, 86, is out on bail on medical grounds. The extension was given so that his lawyer could file the required documents in his plea, and the case has been reserved for further hearing on July 2. Interestingly, the temporary bail given by the Gujarat High Court on March 28 this year expires on June 30.
His lawyer requested a few days' extension to file documents in his submission during the hearing. He said that after temporary bail was granted by the court on March 28, 10 days were lost as a procedure to obtain orders from the Jodhpur High Court was involved, and he got released on April 7. "So I ask for two days so that if the issue is left pending on Monday, I can put the document on record, and even they (respondents) can confirm. Then on Monday, in any event, I have to surrender, so lordships may grant me one or two days till the issue is pending," he said.
The court, in its ruling, noted that given "the peculiar facts of the present case, more particularly, the process of obtaining the certificate from NALSA (National Legal Services Authority), which according to submission is pending, we are inclined to extend the temporary bail until July 7".
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The top court on March 28 extended temporary bail for three months to Asaram since the interim bail, which was earlier extended to him by the Supreme Court, was going to lapse on March 31. A division bench of the high court later rendered a split verdict, and then a third judge to whom the case was referred held in favour of extending him a three-month temporary bail.
In January 2023, a court in Gandhinagar found Asaram guilty in a rape case and sentenced him to life imprisonment. Asaram is also currently serving a life term in another case of raping a minor girl at his ashram in Rajasthan in 2013.
In the current case, he was found guilty of raping a lady disciple, who was from Surat, on numerous instances between 2001 and 2006 when she was residing at his ashram located in Motera near Ahmedabad. He was found guilty under sections of the Indian Penal Code 376 2 (C) (rape), 377 (unnatural offences), 342 (wrongful detention), 354 (assault or criminal force to woman with intent to outrage her modesty), 357 (assault) and 506 (criminal intimidation).
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