The Gujarat High Court has extended the temporary bail granted to self-styled Godman Asaram Bapu, who was convicted by a Gandhinagar sessions court in a 2013 rape case, till June 15.
The High Court passed the order on Thursday on the grounds of Asaram’s medical condition. It further took note of the fact that ‘no untoward incident’ was reported while the convict was out on temporary bail.
Earlier, on November 6, 2025, the High Court had granted him six-month temporary bail on medical grounds. Asaram moved an application seeking extension of temporary bail.
In a separate but related matter, the Rajasthan High Court on April 29 extended Asaram’s interim bail, either until May 25 or until the pronouncement of judgment in his pending criminal appeal against conviction in a rape case, whichever was earlier. The appeal arose from a 2018 verdict of a Jodhpur Sessions Court, which awarded him life imprisonment for raping a minor at his ashram in 2013.
The Division Bench of Acting Chief Justice Sanjeev Prakash Sharma and Justice Sangeeta Sharma recorded that the judgment in the criminal appeal has already been reserved by a coordinate Bench. Taking note of the stage of proceedings, including completion of written submissions, the Court directed that the earlier bail conditions would continue to apply mutatis mutandis and ordered extension of interim bail for a limited period.
The High Court also referred to its earlier order dated October 29, 2025, whereby interim bail was granted for six months on medical grounds, after observing that the convict was in a vegetative condition and that adequate medical infrastructure was not available in prison.
During the hearing, Senior Advocate Devadutt Kamat, appearing for the appellant, submitted that final arguments in the criminal appeal had been concluded within the stipulated six-month period and written submissions had been duly filed. He argued that since the judgment has been reserved and may take time to be delivered, continuation of interim bail is warranted. He also relied on the liberty granted earlier by the Court to file a fresh application for suspension of sentence in case the appeal was not disposed of within the prescribed timeframe.
Opposing the plea, Additional Advocate General Deepak Choudhary, representing the State, contested the extension of interim relief. However, he submitted that if the Court is inclined to grant relief, the extension should be restricted to a short duration and not exceed one month.
After considering the submissions and the procedural posture of the case, the Rajasthan High Court allowed the application and disposed of the plea seeking extension of suspension of sentence and interim bail.
The post Gujarat High Court extends temporary bail of Asaram till June 15 in 2013 rape case appeared first on India Legal.