Asaram Bapu can't be given special treatment: Supreme Court

There is no medical urgency to grant bail to self-styled 'godman' Asaram Bapu and he cannot be given special treatment, the Supreme Court on Monday said and asked him to undergo medical test at AIIMS.

A bench headed by Justice T S Thakur refused to pass any order on how 76-year-old Asaram is to be brought from Jodhpur jail to the national capital, saying that it is for the state government to decide on it.
"Can there be different criteria for different prisoners. Let your medical report first come. There is no medical urgency right now. It is aging problem rather than medical problem," the bench said when his counsel pleaded for an urgent hearing on the bail plea.

The bench said that it will hear his plea in January after the winter vacation.

The apex court had on October 15 directed AIIMS Director to set up a medical board to review medical reports and if required clinically examine Asaram to ascertain whether interim bail should be granted to him in the Jodhpur rape case.

Charges have been framed against Asaram for rape, criminal conspiracy and other offences by a Jodhpur court in connection with alleged sexual exploitation of a minor girl in his ashram in Jodhpur.

District and Sessions Court retained all the charges slapped by the police except Section 26 of Juvenile Justice Act related to child labour against Asaram and his aides and co-accused Sanchita Gupta alias Shilpi and Sharad Chandra.

Charges have been framed under sections 342 (for wrongful confinement), 354A (sexual harassment), 370(4) (trafficking), 376(2)f (rape on a woman when she is under twelve years of age), 506 (criminal intimidation), 509/34 and 120 (B) (criminal conspiracy).