Supreme Court to hear Asaram Bapu's bail plea today

The Supreme Court will hear the bail petition of self-styled godman Asaram Bapu on Monday. A medical board of All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) had on October 3 told the apex court that the health condition of Asaram Bapu was stable. Asaram, accused of rape, had refused to undergo several tests, the seven-member board also said in its report filed before the bench of Justices AK Sikri and NV Ramana. 

On August 11, the top court had denied interim bail to Asaram in a rape case and directed AIIMS to set up a medical board to ascertain his health condition before taking up his regular bail plea. The Rajasthan High Court had earlier rejected Asaram's bail plea citing that the case had reached its "fag end" and thus it was not "appropriate" to grant him bail. This was his ninth regular bail application to be rejected. In 2013, a minor girl had alleged that Asaram had sexually assaulted her at his ashram in Jodhpur. 

The self-styled godman was subsequently arrested on August 31, 2013, and has been in jail since then. Asaram's counsel had sought bail citing that the accused has been suffering several ailments.