Gujarat HC grants' rape accused Asaram Bapu 6 months' bail
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New Delhi: On the same day that the Supreme Court Division Bench adjourned bail plea of JNU student Umar Khalid, who has been in jail for over five years, the Gujarat High Court granted controversial godman Asaram Bapu 6 months’ bail, in a 2013 rape case. The court also suspended his sentence for six months.
With the adjournment of the case, Khalid will have to wait until Monday for the Supreme Court to continue considering his bail plea. When the bench resumes the next day, it is learnt that the Delhi Police's lawyer will argue against granting bail to Umar and others, who are accused of a larger conspiracy in the 2019 Delhi riots case. However, the Delhi Police has not yet been able to produce any evidence in the case. Yet, Umar has been lodged in the high-security Tihar Jail for over five years.
Last month, the Rajasthan High Court had suspended Asaram's sentence and granted him bail. The court granted him bail on the grounds of his 'health condition' and the lack of medical facilities in the jail to treat him. In April 2018, the Jodhpur Sessions Court had sentenced Asaram to life imprisonment for raping a minor girl at his ashram in 2013.
On Thursday morning, Asaram's lawyer Devdutt Kamat submitted a Rajasthan High Court order temporarily suspending the sentence before a division bench of Justices Ilesh J. Vora and R.T. Vachhani of the Gujarat High Court.
Legal websites reported that after examining the order, the bench said, "It can continue in the same way and will change it within six months." Kamath had requested the court to consider Asaram's health condition and age. However, the court granted the relaxation even though the victim's lawyer pointed out that the certificates submitted did not indicate that he was in a serious condition.