NEW DELHI: The Gujarat high court on Thursday granted six months’ bail to self-styled godman Asaram in a 2013 rape case in which he is serving a life sentence — nearly a week after the Rajasthan high court granted him bail in a separate, similar case.A division bench of Justices Ilesh Vora and RT Vachhani granted temporary bail to facilitate his medical treatment, stating orally that the relief was being extended on the same grounds as the Rajasthan high court’s order.During the hearing, Asaram’s counsel submitted the Rajasthan high court’s order before the Gujarat bench and urged the judges to consider his client’s medical condition while seeking temporary bail.Opposing the plea, the state counsel argued that the medical facilities unavailable to Asaram in Jodhpur jail could be provided to him at Sabarmati Central Jail in Ahmedabad.The Rajasthan high court, on October 29, had granted Asaram six months’ bail, noting submissions from his counsel that the 84-year-old had been suffering from prolonged illness and required treatment that could not be adequately provided in prison.In the Gujarat case, a Gandhinagar court had in January 2023 sentenced Asaram to life imprisonment for raping a woman disciple from Surat multiple times between 2001 and 2006, while she was staying at his Motera ashram near Ahmedabad.The self-styled godman was convicted under several sections of the Indian Penal Code, including 376(2)(C) (rape), 377 (unnatural offences), 342 (wrongful confinement), 354 (assault or use of criminal force to outrage a woman’s modesty), 357 (assault), and 506 (criminal intimidation).Asaram is also serving a life sentence in another case, which is also from 2013, for raping a minor girl at his Rajasthan ashram.(With PTI inputs)
