E-Paper
‘Ulterior motive’: Rajasthan opposes Asaram plea in SC for treatment in Haridwar
Asaram asked the Supreme Court for suspension of sentence or interim bail for two months In 2018, an 83-year-old self-styled godman was sentenced to spend the rest of his life in jail for raping a minor girl in his ashram.
New Delhi: The Rajasthan government told the Supreme Court on Tuesday that self-styled godman Asaram Bapu’s request to suspend his sentence so that he can get medical treatment in Uttarakhand’s Haridwar was prompted by an “ulterior motive” and should be rejected.
The state government affidavit said Asaram, 83, is admitted to All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), Jodhpur but “is not cooperating with the doctors for his ulterior motive of shifting the venue of his custody…Such change (of venue) is an abuse of process of law.”
The Supreme Court has asked Asaram to respond to the state by Friday.
Asaram alias Anshumal is serving a life term in a Jodhpur jail for raping a minor at his ashram in 2013. He was convicted in April 2018 and sentenced to spend the rest of his life in jail.
The self-styled godman, who faces a second rape case in neighbouring Gujarat, approached the Supreme Court to seek suspension of his jail term to allow him to get treatment at Haridwar’s Prakash Deep Institute of Ayurvedic Science. On Friday, the Supreme Court asked the Rajasthan government to outline its stand on Asaram’s request that cited his complicated medical condition, advanced age and a complete distrust of allopathic treatment.
The Rajasthan government said Asaram can get Ayurvedic treatment in Jodhpur as well. Jodhpur is one of those “rare” places famous for its excellent treatment of both allopathic and Ayurvedic treatment at Ayurveda Hospital, Jodhpur and AIIMS, the government said.
Asaram, who filed his petition through advocate Saurabh Ajay Gupta, has contended that neither Jodhpur nor Rajasthan has proper Ayurvedic treatment and it would not be possible for him to be treated as long as he is in Jodhpur jail.
To be sure, Asaram had made a similar plea before the Rajasthan high court which relied on the report prepared by AIIMS doctors who found him “stable and fit”.
The state government affidavit also underlined that Asaram refused to take medicines prescribed by doctors at AIIMS or undergo medical processes for his cardiac treatment.
He suffered from gastrointestinal bleeding for which HC observed that treatment was available at MDM Hospital in the state.
The Rajasthan government said Asaram was trying to shift out of the state since he wanted to delay “the pending trial at Gandhi Nagar (Gujarat) and Jodhpur, by malafidely raising such a plea when he is stable and fit.”
In the high court, Asaram said he does not want to take the allopathic line of treatment and should be allowed to undergo ayurvedic treatment at his Jodhpur ashram.
After considering all aspects, the high court noted that his release on bail will affect the pending trail in Gujarat. It also noted that whenever the convict is taken out of prison for attending court during trial, his followers would form huge congregations resulting in a law and order situation that would increase the risk of spreading the Covid-19 infection.
