Gujarat HC grants fresh bail to Asaram for 3 months on medical grounds after split verdict
Ahmedabad, Mar 28 (PTI): The Gujarat High Court on Friday granted fresh temporary bail for three months to self-styled godman Asaram, who is serving life imprisonment in a rape case, on medical grounds following a split verdict.
The Supreme Court had on January 7 granted interim bail to Asaram till March 31 in this case registered by the Gujarat police. At present, he is undergoing ayurvedic treatment in Jodhpur, Rajasthan.
As the three-month period was coming to an end on Monday, his lawyers moved the high court seeking bail for another three months, starting from April 1.
The matter came up before a division bench of Justice Ilesh J Vora and Justice Sandeep Bhatt earlier in the day.
After hearing both sides, the bench gave a split verdict as Justice Vora granted him bail while Justice Bhatt expressed a dissenting view and dismissed the application.
The matter was then listed before a third judge, Justice A S Supehia, in the afternoon.
His lawyer senior advocate Shalin Mehta argued that 86-year-old Asaram was suffering from heart and kidney ailments, and the only treatment available to him was ayurvedic `panchakarma'.
The treatment at a Jodhpur-based ayurvedic facility had only just begun and would take another three months, the lawyer said.
The SC, while passing the bail order in January, had given liberty to Asaram to approach the Gujarat HC for any relief on medical grounds after March 31, he pointed out.
After getting relief here, his client will have to approach the Rajasthan High Court to get bail in another case, advocate Mehta said, adding that otherwise Asaram will have to go behind bars in Jodhpur on April 1.
Advocate Hardik Dave, representing the Gujarat government, argued that though the state was not against Asaram getting treatment, the HC needed to verify if he really needed it.
After going through the documents on record, Justice Supehia granted Asaram bail for three months, noting that he had not fully recovered yet, and had not misused his previous bail.
After the apex court on January 7 granted interim bail to Asaram in the case of rape registered by the Gujarat police, the Rajasthan High Court granted him interim bail in the Jodhpur rape case. He was released late on the night of January 14.
Asaram's interim bail marks a temporary release after spending more than 11 years in jail.
He was sentenced to life imprisonment in April 2018 for raping a girl at his ashram in Jodhpur in 2013.
In 2023, Asaram was convicted by a court in Gujarat for raping a woman disciple at his ashram in Motera area of Ahmedabad.
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Priyanka Gandhi urges Nitin Gadkari to expedite road projects in Kerala's Wayanad
Wayanad/New Delhi (PTI): Congress MP from Wayanad Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Friday said she met Union Minister Nitin Gadkari, seeking his intervention to expedite pending road infrastructure works in her constituency, including those aimed at addressing landslide issues at the Thamarassery pass.
Sharing photographs of the meeting on the social media platform 'X', Priyanka said Gadkari, the Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways, heard her concerns and sought updates from the relevant officials.
In her post, she expressed hope that the pressing issues she raised, which directly affect public safety and daily life, would receive the attention and urgency they deserve.
“Met respected Gadkari to raise issues concerning my constituency, Wayanad, and urged that pending works be expedited without further delay. He was kind enough to hear my concerns and get updates from the relevant officers,” she said.
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“I sincerely hope these pressing issues, which directly affect people’s safety and daily lives, will receive the attention and urgency they deserve,” she added.
A day earlier, Priyanka had sought an appointment with Gadkari in Parliament, saying she had been seeking an opportunity since June to discuss issues related to her constituency.
Responding to her request, the minister had said his doors were always open and that she could meet him at any time.
She subsequently met him at his office later the same day.
Met respected Shri @nitin_gadkari to raise issues concerning my constituency, Wayanad, and urged that pending works be expedited without further delay.
— Priyanka Gandhi Vadra (@priyankagandhi) December 19, 2025
He was kind enough to hear my concerns and get an update from the relevant officers.
I sincerely hope these pressing issues… pic.twitter.com/UkxnXP6gxn
