Rape convict Asaram Bapu granted six-month bail on medical grounds

Asaram Bapu, the self-styled godman serving life sentence for raping a minor, was granted an interim bail for six months by the Rajasthan High Court.

Asaram is a convict in a 2013 case of rape on a minor girl, a student of his ashram’s school. He is serving life imprisonment in the case and has been in Jodhpur jail for the past 12 years.

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Hearing his bail plea, the division bench of Acting Chief Justice Sanjiv Prakash Sharma, granted him a six-month bail for medical treatment.

Earlier on August 30, Asaram had surrendered at the Jodhpur Central Jail after the Rajasthan High Court refused to extend his interim bail, observing that his health condition was stable and did not require continuous medical care or hospitalisation.

The court had noted that Asaram received treatment at private and government hospitals in various cities but didn’t maintain regular follow-ups with any of them.

The court had constituted a medical board on August 18 to assess his health condition. In its report, the board had concluded that his health condition was stable.

Asaram was granted bail for the first time in 12 years in January 2025 and the same lasted for seven and a half months before the High Court cancelled it.