Gujarat HC extends Asaram's interim bail till Sep 3

Ahmedabad, Aug 19 (PTI) The Gujarat High Court on Tuesday extended till 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 PM Raval extended Asaram's temporary bail, which was to end on August 21, till September 3 when it will take up the matter next.

The Rajasthan High Court will hear his interim bail plea in another rape case on August 29. On its direction, Asaram underwent a medical checkup at the Ahmedabad-based civil hospital on Monday.

Earlier, the Gujarat HC had extended his interim bail till August 21, mainly on medical grounds after observing that he was in 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 HC for temporary bail extension mainly on the ground of his deteriorating health condition.

The court earlier granted him interim bail till July 7 and later extended the relief for another month. While granting him extension then, the court clarified that no further prayer for extension of temporary bail will be entertained on medical grounds.

Asaram first approached the HC after the interim bail granted to him by the Supreme Court till March 31 on medical grounds was coming to an end, as the apex court had directed him to do so if he needed any extension.

The division bench of the high court then delivered a split verdict, after which a third judge to whom the matter was referred granted him a three-month temporary bail.

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

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

The Gandhinaagar court convicted Asaram in a case registered in 2013 for raping a woman disciple, who hailed from Surat, on several occasions from 2001 to 2006 when she was living at his ashram at Motera near Ahmedabad.

He was convicted under Indian Penal Code sections 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). PTI KA PD GK