Asaram Bapu, the self-styled godman, is currently incarcerated in Jodhpur Central Jail. He recently returned to the prison on January 1st, 2025, after a 17-day parole that began on December 18th, 2024. The parole, granted for medical reasons, allowed him to seek treatment in Pune. He is serving a life imprisonment sentence for a sexual assault case. According to a High Court order, Asaram was required to return to Jodhpur Jail by January 2nd to avoid being found in contempt of court.
Asaram’s legal battles continue. On November 22nd, 2024, the Supreme Court issued a notice to the Gujarat government regarding Asaram’s plea to suspend his life imprisonment sentence, which was imposed by a trial court for a separate rape case in 2013. The Supreme Court stated it would consider the plea but would only focus on medical grounds for potential release. Asaram’s lawyer argued that his client suffers from serious medical ailments and should be granted interim release.
Prior to his appeal to the Supreme Court, Asaram was convicted in January 2023 by a sessions court in Gandhinagar, Gujarat, for the 2013 rape of a female disciple at his Surat Ashram. The Gujarat High Court, in August 2024, rejected his appeal to suspend the life sentence.
Asaram’s initial arrest and subsequent life sentence stem from a 2013 incident in Jodhpur. A teenage girl reported being sexually assaulted by Asaram at his ashram near Jodhpur on August 15th, 2013. He was subsequently arrested and brought to Jodhpur for trial and imprisonment.
