Rape Convict Asaram Walks Out of Jodhpur Jail on 17-Day Parole

Jodhpur: Self-styled godman Asaram Bapu, who is serving a life sentence in Jodhpur Central Jail for a sexual assault case, walked out on a 17-day parole on Wednesday. Granted by the Rajasthan High Court on December 15, this is the third time Asaram has been allowed parole for medical reasons.  

Asaram left Jodhpur Jail in an ambulance under tight police protection and boarded a flight to Pune, escorted by Ratananda police. He will undergo treatment at Madhavbagh Ayurvedic Hospital in Pune. As per the parole conditions, he is not allowed to meet anyone during this period.  

This follows his earlier paroles—30 days in November for treatment at a Jodhpur hospital and seven days in August for treatment in Pune. In the latest order, the High Court allowed Asaram to directly travel from the private hospital in Jodhpur, where he was admitted, to the airport, without returning to jail. The court also instructed him to follow all security rules and bear the costs of his travel and police protection.  

In November, the Supreme Court issued a notice to the Gujarat government after Asaram sought bail on medical grounds. Senior advocate Dama Seshadri Naidu, representing Asaram, stated that the 82-year-old suffers from multiple health issues, including blockages. The court, however, said it would consider the bail plea carefully, given the nature of the case under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act.  

Asaram, who once had a massive following across India, is now serving life imprisonment for sexually assaulting a minor girl in his ashram in 2013.