JODHPUR: The Rajasthan High Court on Tuesday granted interim bail till March 31 to self-styled godman Asaram, who is serving life imprisonment in a 2013 case related to the sexual assault of aminor girl at his Ashram. This comes a week after the Supreme Court granted him bail till March 31 in another rape case, observing that he suffered from various ailments and needed treatment.Soon after the top court granted him relief on medical grounds, Asaram’s counsels moved a suspension of sentence plea in the high court.A division bench of Justices Dinesh Mehta and Vineet Kumar Mathur granted interim bail to Asaram considering that the nature of the plea was similar to the one filed in the Supreme Court.”We argued that the plea was similar in nature to that filed in the Supreme Court and the grounds stand valid in this case as well,” Asaram’s counsel Nishant Bora said.He said the conditions for Asaram’s interim bail are the same as those set by the apex court on January 7 except one.”If Asaram wants to travel outside (Jodhpur), he will have to bear the expenses of the three constables who have been asked to accompany him,” Bora said.Days after the Supreme Court granted interim bail to Asaram, the victim’s father expressed shock and stated that he is deeply concerned about his family’s safety. Pointing out that Asaram Babu was allegedly responsible for the murder of two witnesses in the case, the victim’s father said, “The government says laws are in place to ensure capital punishment for crimes against minors, but in Asaram’s case, the court continues to show leniency.”Asaram was sentenced to life imprisonment in April 2018 for raping the minor girl, who belongs to a special tribe in Jodhpur, at his ashram in 2013. He has been denied bail 12 times.
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