Asaram Bapu Back in Jail, Disappointed by High Court; Surrenders at Jodhpur Jail

Jodhpur, 27 August 2024 – Asaram Bapu, considered a spiritual guru, has once again been taken into police custody. The special court in Jodhpur had issued an arrest warrant against him on 26 August in connection with rape allegations, following which he surrendered himself at the Central Jail in Jodhpur. Prior to this, he had filed an interim relief petition with the Gujarat High Court, but the court did not provide him with any relief. Even after the High Court's decision, Asaram Bapu's arrest was inevitable. A division bench of the Gujarat High Court, comprising Chief Justice Arvind Kumar and Justice V.D. Kothee, heard Asaram Bapu's interim relief petition and refused to grant him any relief. The court acknowledged that there was sufficient evidence against him in the registered case and that the arrest procedure could not be stayed. Following this verdict, Asaram Bapu traveled to Jodhpur and surrendered himself at the Central Jail. His arrest was made in connection with the next hearing of the case in the special court in Jodhpur. Asaram Bapu has been accused of raping a 16-year-old girl in 2013. At the time, the girl, who was residing at Asaram's ashram in Ahmedabad, Gujarat, alleged that Asaram had sexually exploited her. In 2018, the special court had found Asaram, along with his son Narayansai and a female worker at the ashram, guilty and sentenced them to life imprisonment. However, the High Court had stayed the sentences of Narayansai and the female worker, while upholding Asaram Bapu's sentence. Asaram Bapu has repeatedly filed bail petitions in the case against him, but the court has not provided him with any relief. After his arrest, the next hearing in the case is scheduled to take place on 29 August at the special court in Jodhpur. This case has once again highlighted the controversy between the image of a religious guru and the legal process in society.