The Supreme Court on Tuesday granted interim bail to Asumal Harpalani, better known as Asaram Bapu, on medical grounds in connection with a 2013 rape case, according to a report by PTI.
As part of the conditions for his release, the SC directed Asaram not to meet his followers while on interim bail.
In August 2013, the Delhi police registered a case against Asaram for allegedly raping a 16-year-old girl at his Jodhpur ashram. Subsequently, a special SC/ST court in Jodhpur convicted the self-styled godman of sexual assault.
Asaram has been in jail since August 31, 2013. He was charged under sections of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act and the Scheduled Castes and Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act.
In February 2023, a Gandhinagar Sessions Court sentenced Asaram to life imprisonment after finding him guilty of rape and unnatural sex. This case, filed in 2013, involved a woman disciple from Surat who accused Asaram of repeatedly raping her between 2001 and 2006 while she lived at his Motera ashram near Ahmedabad.
Before his convictions, Asaram was a prominent religious leader with a significant following. Starting with his first ashram on the banks of the Sabarmati River in Ahmedabad during the 1970s, he built a sprawling multi-crore business empire. This included a range of products and spiritual literature, with his influence extending through numerous ashrams established across the country.
