Asaram Bapu moves Gujarat court for temporary bail in rape case

Asaram is seeking a 30-day temporary bail to attend to his ailing wife

Jailed self-styled godman Asaram on Thursday moved a trial court in Gujarat where he is facing rape charges, seeking a 30-day temporary bail to attend to his ailing wife.

The temporary bail plea was filed before the court of Additional Sessions Judge S N Solanki in Gandhinagar.

The court fixed January 30 to hear the plea.

The 79-year-old controversial religious preacher, who is behind bars since 2013, is facing trial in a rape case before the sessions court in the Gujarat capital.

Currently, Asaram is lodged in a Rajasthan jail after conviction in a separate rape case.

Asaram sought bail for a period of 30 days on the ground that his 77-year-old wife, Lakshmi Devi, is severely ill and needs to undergo bypass surgery.

As per the bail application, doctors at UN Mehta Heart Hospital in Ahmedabad had asked Lakshmi Devi to get herself admitted for a bypass surgery when she visited the hospital a few weeks ago when her heart condition started deteriorating.

However, since there was no one to look after her, she had informed the doctors that she will get herself admitted to the hospital on February 1, said Asaram's plea.

According to the plea, Asaram needs to be with his ailing wife during and after the heart surgery.

Two Surat-based sisters, who lived in Asarams ashram in Motera area of Ahmedabad between 1997 and 2006, lodged had separate complaints against him and his son Narayan Sai, accusing them of rape and illegal confinement, among other charges.

Asaram is in Jodhpur jail in Rajasthan ever since his arrest in 2013 after a minor girl lodged a case of rape against him.

He was convicted by a Jodhpur court in that case of sexual assault in 2018. The Jodhpur court had sentenced the self-styled godman to life in prison.