The Gujarat High Court on Tuesday issued notice to the state government seeking its response on a petition filed by self-styled godman Asaram Bapu, who has sought an extension of his temporary bail on medical grounds.
A division bench comprising Justices Ilesh Vora and Sandeep Bhatt directed the state to file its reply by June 27.
Asaram, 86, is serving a life sentence in two separate rape cases. He was granted temporary bail for three months by the High Court on March 28, after the Supreme Court’s interim bail order—set to expire on March 31—came to an end.
The temporary bail was granted following a split verdict by a division bench of the High Court, after which the matter was referred to a third judge who ruled in favour of granting him three-month relief.
In January 2023, a Gandhinagar court convicted Asaram for raping a woman disciple from Surat on multiple occasions between 2001 and 2006, when she was residing at his ashram in Motera, near Ahmedabad.
He is also serving a life sentence in another case, having been convicted for raping a minor girl at his Jodhpur ashram in Rajasthan in 2013.
The High Court will next hear the matter on June 27 after receiving the state’s response.
