The Gujarat High Court has rejected a plea by self-styled Godman Asaram Bapu who had sought a suspension of his life sentence in a decade old rape case in which he was accused of repeatedly raping a female disciple.
A Division Bench comprising Justice Ilesh J. Vora and Justice Vimal K. Vyas found that there was no exceptional ground made out to allow Asaram’s interim release from jail while his appeal against conviction remains pending.
“We do not find any exceptional ground to extend the benefit as prayed by the applicant – accused … no case is made out for suspending the substantial sentence and grant of bail,” the August 29 judgment said.
The Court also noted that Asaram’s allegation that it was a false case, that there was a 12-year delay in lodging the FIR, and that he had been implicated due to some rivalry between devotees and because of conspiracy could be considered when his appeal against the conviction is heard.
“At the time of final hearing, the evidence has to be evaluated and weighed and at this stage; if we discuss and/or dealt with the all the grounds, it may cause prejudice either of the parties and therefore, considering the peculiar facts and circumstances of the present case, we confine ourselves not to discuss and examine the grounds on merits,” the Court said.
In January 2023, a sessions court in Gandhinagar had convicted Asaram Bapu under various provisions of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) for the repeated rape of a female disciple at a Surat Ashram.
Asaram challenged his rape conviction and the life sentence imposed on him by the trial court. He also filed an application to suspend his jail sentence.
The prosecution challenged the move, arguing that Asaram’s jail sentence ought not to be suspended merely on the ground that his appeal against conviction is not likely to be heard in a reasonable time.
Asaram’s counsel had also cited health grounds and his advanced age to urge the High Court to allow the suspension of his prison sentence.
The prosecution countered that Asaram himself had earlier refused to take proper treatment from the AIMS, Jodhpur hospital and thus, the same cannot be a ground for the suspension of his sentence.
It was further submitted that Asaram held a lot of influence and had a large number of devotees. Allowing his release from prison may endanger witnesses, the Court was told.
The Court too agreed that this was a concern, even if Asaram may not have been responsible for injuries caused to witnesses in the past. The Court opined that such concerns outweighed Asaram’s concerns about his health and advanced age.
“During 2014-2015, there had been so many attacks against various witnesses and relatives of victims … It is not our intention to create an impression that the applicant (Asaram) and the ashram was responsible for the aforesaid incident. However, fact remains that the incidents happened and two witnesses have lost their lives and some of them, as discussed above, suffered serious injuries. Thus, therefore, at this stage, considering the totality of the circumstances, the ground of possible delay in appeal and medical ailment, as well as 10 years completion in jail, in our view, may not be relevant in considering the prayer of suspension of bail,” the Court ruled.
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