Self-styled godman Asaram Bapu, serving a life sentence for raping a minor, surrendered at the Jodhpur Central Jail on Saturday after the Rajasthan High Court declined to extend his interim bail.
Asaram, 84, had been released on bail in January this year for the first time in 12 years of imprisonment on medical grounds. However, a division bench of Justices Dinesh Mehta and Vineet Kumar Mathur dismissed his plea for an extension of interim bail on August 27, citing stable health conditions.
The bench relied on a medical board report from doctors at the Government Hospital in Ahmedabad, which stated that Asaram’s health was stable and that he did not require hospitalisation or continuous medical care.

During the hearing, Asaram’s counsel Nishant Bodha contended that his client had been admitted to AIIMS Jodhpur on August 21, where doctors reportedly noted a deterioration in his condition. The court, however, rejected this claim, placing greater weight on the findings of the Ahmedabad medical board.
The High Court also pointed out that in the past three to four months, Asaram had visited several hospitals across different cities for treatment. Despite multiple medical consultations, the court noted that he failed to follow up regularly at any single hospital.
Asaram has been serving a life term since 2018 after being convicted of sexually assaulting a minor girl at his Jodhpur ashram in 2013. His repeated pleas for bail on medical grounds have largely been rejected by courts, except for the interim relief granted earlier this year.