NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Tuesday granted interim bail to Asaram Bapu, who will be released till March 31 on medical grounds. Asaram is serving a life sentence for a 2013 rape case.
The court cited Asaram’s age and several health problems, including heart disease, as grounds for bail. Judges MM Sundresh and Rajesh Bindal stipulated that Asaram “shall not meet his followers after his release.”
Asaram had appealed to the Supreme Court after the Gujarat High Court denied his bail application in August 2024. The Supreme Court had clarified that they would only consider medical grounds for bail.
The 86-year-old man was convicted in 2023 by a Gandhinagar court for raping a woman who lived in his ashram. He is currently jailed in Jodhpur, Rajasthan, for another rape case.
