Rajasthan High Court Refuses To Entertain Asaram's Interim Bail Extension Plea

Jodhpur: The Rajasthan High Court has refused to entertain an application to extend the interim bail of Asaram, convicted of raping a minor girl, and asked his lawyer to file an affidavit in the next hearing on whether he violated the bail conditions set by the Supreme Court.

Objecting to Asaram's extension application, the victim's lawyer, P C Solanki, said the statement of Asaram to the media about his sermons during the interim bail violated the order and conditions set by the apex court. Hence, his bail should not be extended.

During the hearing by the divisional bench of Justices Dinesh Mehta and Vineet Kumar Mathur, advocates Nishant Borda and Yashpal Singh presented Asaram's case, saying no sermon-like programme took place anywhere. To this, the court said he should file an affidavit in the next hearing saying no sermons took place anywhere and neither the interim bail conditions were violated.

The court set the next date of hearing the case on April 7. Earlier on Tuesday, Asaram surrendered in Jodhpur Jail at the end of the interim bail period. Following the deterioration of his health in incarceration, he was admitted to the Ayurveda Hospital on Pali Road, where he is currently undergoing treatment.

Asaram was granted interim bail by the Supreme Court on January 14. He was subsequently granted interim bail till March 31 by the Jodhpur High Court. He was arrested in 2013 from an ashram in Indore for raping a minor at his ashram in Jodhpur. After a prolonged trial, he was sentenced to life imprisonment in 2018 under the POCSO Act.

In the second case, a female disciple from Surat accused Asaram of repeatedly raping her at his Gandhi Nagar ashram in 2013. A Gandhinagar court sentenced Asaram to life imprisonment in January 2023 in that case.

Also Read:

1. Jodhpur: Asaram Returns To Central Jail After Expiry Of Bail
2. He Can Do Anything To Our Family: Rape Survivor's Father On Fresh Bail For Asaram