NEW DELHI: The Gujarat High Court on Friday extended self-proclaimed godman Asaram Bapu’s temporary bail by three months in a rape case, citing medical reasons. The 86-year-old, who is serving a life sentence in Jodhpur Central Jail, has been granted relief to seek treatment for his heart ailments and other age-related health issues.
Asaram was previously granted interim bail by the Supreme Court until March 31, 2025, also on medical grounds. With the new order, his temporary release has now been extended further.
The Supreme Court, while granting interim bail in January, prohibited Asaram from meeting his followers post-release. His legal team had approached the apex court after the Gujarat high court had rejected his bail plea in August 2024, citing the seriousness of the crime.
The SC, however, considered only the medical grounds, leading to his temporary release.
Asaram was convicted in 2023 by a Gandhinagar court for raping a woman who lived at his ashram in Gujarat. He is also serving life imprisonment for sexually assaulting a minor in 2013 at his Jodhpur ashram.
Following the Supreme Court’s initial bail order in January, security around the rape survivor’s family was significantly increased.
Earlier, he was granted a seven-day parole in 2018, later extended by five days.He also received a 17-day parole in December 2024 before obtaining his interim bail in January 2025.
Asaram was first arrested in 2013 after a minor girl from Shahjahanpur accused him of sexual assault at his Jodhpur ashram. Convicted in 2018, he was sentenced to life imprisonment under the POCSO Act. His latest conviction in Gujarat in 2023 resulted in another life sentence.
