The Supreme Court on Tuesday turned down jailed self-styled godman Asaram Bapu's plea to suspend his sentence to have Ayurvedic treatment in a Uttarakhand centre, saying what mercy does he deserve after conviction in “no ordinary crime at all”. Asaram is undergoing life imprisonment in Jodhpur for raping a minor girl in his ashram.
A Bench of Justices Indira Banerjee, V Ramasubramanian, and Bela M Trivedi rejected his plea to release him for six weeks. Senior advocate R Basant, appearing for Asaram, had sought mercy owing to his ill-health. “Taking an overall view, this is not an ordinary crime at all. You will get all your ayurvedic treatment in jail itself,” the bench said. On Basant pleading that there was no treatment in the Jodhpur jail, senior advocate Manish Singhvi, appearing for the Rajasthan government, submitted that Asaram alias Ashumal was being provided “all necessary treatment in jail”.
Asaram moved the SC after the Rajasthan High Court rejected his bail plea for the treatment. On May 5, he had tested positive for Covid-19 and was shifted to AIIMS, Jodhpur. At the same time, he developed internal gastrointestinal bleeding, as a result of which his haemoglobin levels dropped critically.
The High Court had, however, dismissed the bail application and directed the district and jail administration to ensure that proper treatment is provided to him at a suitable medical institution. On June 4, the Supreme Court had ordered a medical board of the All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi, which found his health was not as serious as painted by him.
