Rajasthan HC Grants Interim Bail To Asaram In 2013 Rape Case

The Rajasthan High Court on Tuesday granted interim bail to self-styled godman Asaram till March 31, 2025. Asaram is serving life imprisonment for a 2013 rape case.

This decision follows a Supreme Court order last week granting him bail in another rape case for medical treatment. Asaram had filed a petition in the High Court seeking a suspension of his sentence and bail.

Conditions For Interim Bail

The court imposed strict conditions for the bail period. Asaram cannot meet his followers and must avoid tampering with evidence. Three guards will accompany him, and he will bear their expenses.

Asaram’s lawyer, R.S. Saluja, informed reporters about the court’s decision. This is the first time in 11 years that Asaram will be out of jail.

On January 7, the Supreme Court granted medical bail to Asaram in a separate rape case filed by a female follower at the Surat ashram. The court clarified that this relief was granted only on humanitarian grounds.

Asaram remains convicted in two cases of sexual assault. The Jodhpur court sentenced him to life imprisonment in 2018 for raping a minor. Similarly, the Gandhinagar court handed him a life sentence in January 2023 for a rape case filed by a woman at the ashram in Gujarat.

Police arrested Asaram from his ashram in Indore, Madhya Pradesh, in September 2013. He has been in jail since then. After a five-year trial, the Jodhpur court sentenced him in 2018. Despite these convictions, Asaram has now secured temporary relief through interim bail.

The Supreme Court and Rajasthan High Court both emphasized strict adherence to the conditions imposed during the bail period.

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