The Gujarat High Court on Friday extended self-styled godman Asaram Bapu’s temporary bail for three months on medical grounds. Asaram, convicted in a 2013 rape case and serving a life sentence, was granted the extension after Justice AS Supehia, acting as the tie-breaker judge, ruled in his favor following a split verdict from a division bench.
Previously, the Supreme Court had granted Asaram interim bail until March 31 for medical reasons. His legal team argued before the Gujarat High Court that doctors had recommended a 90-day Panchkarma therapy, justifying an extension of his temporary release.
Justice Supehia, citing an overall review of the division bench’s orders and a Supreme Court directive, stated that Asaram was entitled to interim bail. He emphasized that an 86-year-old ailing individual could not be restricted to a single medical system.
Earlier in the day, a division bench consisting of Justices Ilesh J Vora and Sandeep N Bhatt delivered conflicting opinions. While Justice Vora approved a three-month temporary bail, Justice Bhatt denied the request.
Justice Bhatt noted that between January 28 and February 19, Asaram visited multiple allopathic and Ayurvedic doctors only once each, without follow-up treatments. He found it surprising that, despite claiming to undergo Panchkarma therapy, Asaram visited the concerned hospital only on March 1, even though he had been on interim bail since January 7.
Consequently, Justice Bhatt ruled that Asaram had not sufficiently justified his need for bail on medical grounds.
Conversely, Justice Vora considered Asaram’s advanced age and medical history, noting his hospitalization at AIIMS Jodhpur in 2024 for ischemic heart disease, hypertension, hypothyroidism, anemia, and gastrointestinal bleeding. A medical board had advised a coronary artery bypass surgery, classifying him as a high-risk patient. Justice Vora concluded that Asaram required specialized care and continuous monitoring, which could not be provided in prison. He granted temporary bail under the same conditions imposed by the Supreme Court, but clarified that this would not automatically entitle him to further extensions.
Justice Supehia, siding with Justice Vora, noted that the state had not reported any misuse of Asaram’s previous interim bail.
