Gujarat HC grants 6-month interim bail to Asaram on medical grounds in 2013 case

Gujarat High Court on Thursday granted six-month interim bail to self-styled godman Asaram Bapu on medical grounds in a 2013 rape case, noting that the Rajasthan High Court had extended similar relief in another matter involving identical health concerns.

The division bench comprising Justices Illesh Vora and RT Vachhani emphasised that access to healthcare is a fundamental right and Asaram's ailments justify short-term relief, but stressed that the bail is restricted exclusively to medical care, leaving his conviction and life term unaffected.

Asaram's lawyer referenced a medical document examined by the Rajasthan High Court, which mentioned his transfer to AIIMS on September 18, contending that his conditions—including cardiac problems, high blood pressure and thyroid related issue which demand advanced treatment not available in prison, thus justifying a pause in his sentence and sought interim bail.

Opposing the interim bail application, the state prosecutor and victim’s lawyer argued that the self-styled godman has frequently travelled to many places without lengthy stays in hospitals. The medical certificates submitted do not indicate any critical condition. If Asaram needed medical facilities unavailable at Jodhpur jail, he could be transferred to Sabarmati jail, where adequate facilities exist.

The fact of the case is that in 2013 a police complaint was filed by a woman from Surat, who claimed Asaram sexually assaulted her multiple times at his Motera ashram in Ahmedabad. The case, first registered in Surat, was shifted to Gandhinagar, where a trial court found him guilty in 2023 and imposed a life imprisonment.