The Supreme Court on Thursday declined to grant self-styled godman Asaram Bapu bail on medical grounds in a rape case in which he is serving a life sentence, while permitting him to engage a trained caretaker of his choice inside jail and allowing him to approach the court again if his health deteriorates.
A bench of justices MM Sundresh and PB Varale passed the order on a petition filed by the 86-year-old convict, who is serving a life sentence imposed by a Rajasthan court in a rape case.
The bench considered a report submitted by the medical board of the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), which recommended round-the-clock monitoring in view of his multiple health ailments but did not advise hospitalisation.
Passing the order, the bench said, “We have taken note of the letter received from AIIMS dated July 31, 2026. The petitioner will have liberty to have assistance of a trained caretaker of his choice on a round-the-clock basis.”
Asaram’s counsel told the court that his health was deteriorating and that he was suffering from multiple ailments, including coronary artery disease, thalassemia and recurrent blood loss. The court further observed, “The application stands adjourned with the liberty to the petitioner to approach this court if his condition deteriorates.”
Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, appearing for the Rajasthan government, opposed the bail plea, relying on the AIIMS report, which ruled out the need for hospitalisation. Mehta further informed the court that the petitioner had already obtained 20-day parole from the Rajasthan high court, a fact that had been suppressed before the Supreme Court.
{{/usCountry}}Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, appearing for the Rajasthan government, opposed the bail plea, relying on the AIIMS report, which ruled out the need for hospitalisation. Mehta further informed the court that the petitioner had already obtained 20-day parole from the Rajasthan high court, a fact that had been suppressed before the Supreme Court.
{{/usCountry}}Asaram’s counsel also submitted that the parole had been granted on account of his prolonged incarceration and advanced age, and not on medical grounds. Mehta argued that the pendency of the bail plea before the Supreme Court had also not been disclosed to the high court. The bench deprecated the practice and clarified that its order was being passed not on the merits of the case but solely on the basis of the AIIMS report.
The self-styled godman was convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment for raping a woman at his Rajasthan ashram in 2013. He has spent more than a decade in jail and also stands convicted in a separate case involving the rape of another woman at his Motera ashram in Gujarat. His appeal in that case is pending before the Gujarat high court.