Guj HC rejects Asaram’s temporary bail plea to meet wife recovering in hospital

Asaram’s lawyer, Ashish Dagli, told the court that Asaram was about 86 years old and his wife was about 83.

The Gujarat High Court on Wednesday rejected a 20-day temporary bail application filed by self-styled godman Asaram, who sought release from Jodhpur jail to meet his wife, Laxmidevi Harpalani, who is undergoing treatment at a hospital in Ahmedabad.

Asaram is serving a life sentence in Jodhpur Central Jail in a 2013 rape case involving a minor. (File image)

A division bench of Justice Gita Gopi and Justice L S Pirzada rejected the application after considering a report submitted by the Assistant Police Commissioner, SIT/Mahila Cell, Crime Branch (Ahmedabad City), and medical records from the hospital.

Asaram is serving a life sentence in Jodhpur Central Jail in a 2013 rape case involving a minor. He was also convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment in a separate case 2013 rape case in Gandhinagar involving a minor girl at his ashram between 2001 and 2006.

According to the hospital records cited in the court order, Laxmidevi was admitted on September 28 with breathing difficulty. She has a history of left ventricular dysfunction and was diagnosed with decompensated heart failure with accelerated hypertension.

The doctors told the police that she had responded well to treatment and was haemodynamically stable and could be discharged within two or three days, subject to her clinical condition.

Asaram’s lawyer, Ashish Dagli, told the court that Asaram was about 86 years old and his wife was about 83. He sought temporary bail on humanitarian grounds, saying that Asaram was concerned about his wife’s health.

Public Prosecutor Hardik Dave opposed the plea, referring to the doctors’ statements and arguing that Laxmidevi was stable and expected to be discharged within two to three days. He submitted that there was no urgency warranting Asaram’s release.

The court noted that the police inquiry found that Laxmidevi was being attended to by relatives and disciples and that a personal doctor was also present. She was receiving treatment from two doctors at the hospital.

“When the patient has responded well to the treatment and both the doctors have opined that she would be discharged within the next two to three days, we do not find any reason to allow the application of the petitioner, who is presently in Jodhpur Jail, Rajasthan,” the bench said.

The court, however, said Asaram could seek permission from the Rajasthan Jail Superintendent to communicate with his wife through video conferencing. The application was subsequently disposed of.