Asaram Bapu Bail: Supreme Court Grants Interim Bail to Asaram Bapu Till March 31

Ravi Singh

Asaram Bapu Bail : In a major development, the Supreme Court of India on Wednesday granted interim bail to self-proclaimed godman Asaram Bapu in a 2013 rape case against him. A life-term-serving preacher who was convicted is aged 86 years old. The same court has accepted the medical relief granted to the self-proclaimed godman for March 31, 2025. It was granted bail by a bench of Justices M M Sundresh and Rajesh Bindal.

Asaram Bapu’s health was one of the major reasons behind the court’s decision. The bench pointed out that the convict was suffering from age-related ailments, such as heart disease, and was thus required to be temporarily released for medical treatment. However, the Supreme Court clarified that Asaram Bapu would not be allowed to meet his followers during his period of bail, which shows strict conditions for his release.

The apex court also directed the Gujarat government to respond to Asaram’s petition, where he sought suspension of his life sentence handed down by a Gandhinagar court in 2023. Asaram Bapu, who has been in jail for several years, had earlier been denied bail by lower courts, but this interim relief from the Supreme Court has come as a significant development.

Asaram Bapu was convicted in 2018 for the rape of a minor girl in his ashram in Rajasthan. He gained immense popularity as a spiritual guru, but his conviction caused nationwide outrage. The case has remained a subject of legal and public interest since then.

The bail decision has caused mixed reactions in the public; some have lauded the court for taking a sympathetic view towards the convict’s health, while others have expressed dismay over the possible fallout of the short-term release of a man who was convicted of such a dreadful crime.

During the course of the case, the Gujarat government’s response to the suspension of Asaram’s life sentence would be keenly watched.