Self-styled godman Asaram Bapu granted interim bail by Supreme Court in 2013 rape case

PTI file photo of Asaram Bapu.

NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Tuesday granted interim bail to Asaram Bapu, who will be released until March 31 for medical reasons. Asaram is serving a life sentence for a 2013 rape case.
The court cited Asaram’s age and various health issues, including a heart ailment, as the basis for the bail. Justices M M Sundresh and Rajesh Bindal stipulated that Asaram ‘not to meet his followers post release.’
Asaram had appealed to the Supreme Court after the Gujarat High Court denied his request for bail in August 2024. The SC had clarified they would only consider the medical grounds for bail.
The 86-year-old was convicted in 2023 by a Gandhinagar court for raping a woman who lived at his ashram. He is currently imprisoned in Jodhpur, Rajasthan, for a separate rape case.