Supreme Court Notice to Gujarat Government on Confession of Convicted Rapist Asaram

The sessions court in January 2023 convicted Asaram in the 2013 rape case.

New Delhi:

The Supreme Court on Friday sought a response from the Gujarat government on the plea filed by jailed self-styled godman Asaram, seeking suspension of the life sentence imposed on him by a court in a 2013 rape case.

A bench comprising Justices MM Sundresh and Aravind Kumar told the lawyer appearing on behalf of Asaram that it would examine the matter only if there were medical grounds.

While sending the matter to the hearing on December 13, the court said, “We will issue a notice, but we will only evaluate medical conditions.”

The Gujarat High Court had on August 29 rejected Asaram’s plea for postponement of life imprisonment in the Gandhinagar court case in 2023.

Rejecting the suspension of sentence and granting bail, the high court observed that no release case had been filed.

The sessions court in January 2023 convicted Asaram in the 2013 rape case filed by a woman who was living in his ashram near Gandhinagar at the time of the crime.

Asaram is currently in Jodhpur jail in Rajasthan in another rape case.

The Supreme Court noted that the applicant’s claims about the possible delay in deciding his appeal, his age and health condition were not related to the award of compensation.

The court also considered previous incidents, including the alleged murder of two boys at the Sabarmati ashram and attacks on witnesses and relatives of the victims.

“At this stage, considering the totality of the circumstances, the possible delay in the appeal and the completion of the ten-year prison sentence on the grounds of medical illness, in our opinion, may not be included in the evaluation of the application for postponement of bail.” the court observed.

In Asaram’s defense, it was stated that he was the victim of a conspiracy and that the rape allegations were false. The court argued that it had erred in accepting the victim’s explanation for the 12-year delay in lodging the complaint.

His appeal against his conviction in a rape case in Jodhpur is pending before the Rajasthan High Court. Asaram’s application for stay of sentence in this case was rejected by the Rajasthan High Court in January this year.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is syndicated.)