Self-styled ‘godman’ Asaram Bapu was on Thursday denied interim bail in a rape case by the Supreme Court which asked the All India Institute of Medical Sciences to set up a medical board to ascertain his health condition before taking up his regular bail plea.
A bench of justices M B Lokur and R K Agrawal said that a three-member panel of doctors from AIIMS will assess the condition of 75-year-old Asaram and submit its report in 10 days.
“We are not inclined to grant relief to petitioner.... We direct the director of AIIMS to constitute a panel of three doctors to examine the health condition of petitioner (Asaram) and submit report in 10 days,” the bench said.
Asaram was arrested by Jodhpur Police on August 31, 2013 and has been in jail since then.
Senior advocate Raju Ramachandran appearing for Asaram, said the medical board constituted on the direction of the high court has opined that his health condition was deteriorating and sought interim bail for him for a period of one or two months.
“As per the doctors, he needs to go to Kerala where he needs to undergoes Panchakarma (Ayurvedic purification and detoxification treatment) as the climate is suitable for this kind of treatment,” Ramachandran said.
Referring to the Rajasthan high court order which has refused to grant him interim bail, Ramachandran contended that it ‘erred’ in not granting relief to Asaram.
The bench said that high court has also said that another medical check-up should be done.
“AIIMS can examine the petitioner and give its report,” the bench said.
Ramachandran said that he will be filing an appeal against the high court order refusing his client the interim bail and till then his prayer for relief should be kept pending.
To this, the bench said it will look into the issue after the medical board submits its report on the present health condition of Asaram.
On August 9, the high court had rejected the bail application of Asaram Bap in the rape case.
A teenage girl had accused Asaram of sexual assault at his ashram in Manai village near Jodhpur. The girl belonging to Shahjahanpur in Uttar Pradesh was a student at the ashram.
IMAGE: Godman Asaram, who is accused in a sexual assault case, arrives in a wheelchair at the court for hearing on his bail plea. Photograph: PTI Photo
