NEW DELHI: Asaram Bapu, serving a life sentence in a rape case, has been granted fresh interim bail. Following this, the survivor’s father expressed concerns saying that his family faces greater danger as the self-proclaimed godman “can do anything” to them at any time.
The Gujarat High Court on Friday extended Asaram Bapu’s temporary bail by three months in a rape case, citing medical reasons.
The survivor’s father from Uttar Pradesh’s Shahjahanpur district questioned the repeated bail grants and said that Asaram “is influencing everyone”.
“When Asaram was in jail, it was our victory. Now he is managing everyone. I am surprised that the court is repeatedly granting interim bail to Asaram, first for seven days, then 12 days, then two and a half months and now for three months,” the survivor’s father told news agency PTI.
The victim was raped at Asaram’s Jodhpur ashram in 2013, where he assaulted a 16-year-old minor.
Her father further noted that since Asaram’s release, his followers had predicted he wouldn’t return to jail, which now appears accurate. He mentioned that Asaram has been visiting various locations including Jodhpur, Indore, Ujjain and Surat, meeting his followers.
“What kind of illness does he have? Now the danger to our family has increased. He can do anything to us at any time. Now we are only dependent on God,” he said.
Asaram’s representative, Senior advocate Shalin Mehta, informed the court that the 86-year-old required ayurvedic ‘panchakarma’ treatment for his heart and kidney conditions.
The advocate explained that the treatment at a Jodhpur-based ayurvedic facility had just commenced and required three additional months.
Earlier on January 7, the Supreme Court granted Asaram interim bail until March 31 in the case filed by Gujarat Police.
With the bail period set to expire on Monday, his lawyers approached the high court seeking a three-month extension starting April 1.
Meanwhile, the survivor’s father alleged that their lawyer deceived them by failing to oppose Asaram’s bail plea, despite having all the necessary documents prepared.
“Even after repeated requests, our lawyer did not file an objection in court. As a result of this, the court again granted him bail for three months.
“We signed all the papers and gave them to the lawyer but he did not file the objection and kept making us run around… he has cheated us,” the survivor’s father alleged.
Superintendent of Police (SP) Rajesh Dwivedi confirmed security measures, including a guard at the survivor’s residence and two personal security officers.
“Our officers are constantly monitoring the security of the survivor’s family,” he added.
Asaram received a life sentence in 2018 for rape under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act. In 2023, a Gujarat court found him guilty of raping a woman disciple at his Motera ashram in Ahmedabad.
