Jaipur, May 25 (IANS) The Rajasthan High Court in Jodhpur has extended the interim bail of self-styled godman Asaram Bapu, who is serving a life sentence in a rape case, until July 7. The relief was granted on medical grounds by a Division Bench comprising Acting Chief Justice Sanjeev Prakash Sharma and Justice Yogendra Kumar Purohit.

The court clarified that the interim bail will remain in force until July 7 or until the pronouncement of the reserved verdict on Asaram’s plea seeking suspension of sentence, whichever occurs earlier. His earlier interim bail period was scheduled to expire on Monday.

During the hearing, Senior Advocate Devadatt Kamat appeared via video conferencing on behalf of Asaram, while Advocates Nishant Boda and Yashpal Singh Rajpurohit appeared physically before the Bench.

The defence submitted that 86-year-old Asaram’s medical treatment remains incomplete and that he continues to require medical supervision.

Counsel informed the court that arguments in the plea seeking suspension of sentence had concluded on April 20, following which the High Court reserved its verdict. Given the pending decision and continuing treatment, the defence requested continuation of the interim relief granted earlier on medical grounds.

The Bench considered the submissions and noted that the interim bail, last extended on April 29, was expiring while the court’s decision on suspension of sentence remained pending.

Accordingly, the High Court extended Asaram’s interim bail until July 7. However, the Bench clarified that if the reserved verdict on the suspension plea is pronounced before that date, the interim bail will automatically be governed by that decision.

Asaram was arrested in August 2013 on charges of raping a minor student at his Jodhpur ashram. Following a prolonged trial, a special POCSO court in Jodhpur convicted him on April 25, 2018, and sentenced him to life imprisonment.

In a separate case, Asaram was also sentenced to life imprisonment in January 2023 for the rape of a female devotee at his ashram in Gandhinagar, Gujarat.

The 86-year-old has repeatedly sought bail citing advanced age and deteriorating health. Earlier, acting on directions from the Supreme Court, the Rajasthan High Court had granted him interim bail on medical grounds, which has since been extended periodically by the court.

–IANS

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