SC to hear Asaram Bapu's bail plea today

The Supreme Court on Monday will hear the bail plea of self- styled religious figure Asaram Bapu, an accused in a rape case of a minor girl.

A medical board of the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) had on October 3 told the apex court that the health of Asaram Bapu was stable.

Asaram had earlier refused to undergo several tests, the seven-member board said in its report filed before the bench of Justices A.K. Sikri and N.V. Ramana.

On August 11, the top court had denied interim bail to Asaram in a rape case and directed the AIIMS to set up a medical board to ascertain his health before taking up his regular plea for bail.

The Rajasthan High Court had earlier rejected Asaram's bail plea citing that the case had reached its "fag end" and thus it was not "appropriate" to grant him bail.

This was his ninth regular bail application to be rejected.

In 2013, a minor girl had alleged that Asaram had sexually assaulted her at his ashram in Jodhpur.

The self-styled godman was subsequently arrested on August 31, 2013, and has been in jail since.

Asaram's counsel had sought bail citing that the accused has been suffering several ailments.