Asaram seeks bail for Ayurvedic treatment, HC hearing adjourned till next week

Self-styled godman Asaram will now have to wait at least a week before the Rajasthan High Court decides if he can be given interim bail for medical treatment through Ayurveda in Haridwar.

For now, the rape convict who was admitted at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences in Jodhpur after being infected with coronavirus will continue his treatment there.

The division bench of Justice Sandeep Mehta and Justice Devendra Kachhawaha on Thursday adjourned the hearing on the bail plea till May 21, summoning a fresh medical report.

The adjournment followed submission of his medical report by the AIIMS, advising the completion of his treatment for Covid-19 and his isolation.

In its order, the court said it is taking into view Asaram’s old age and medical condition to direct that “his treatment shall be continued at the AIIMS, Jodhpur under supervision of the concerned doctors/specialists”.

Earlier, his counsel Siddharth Luthra, appearing through video conference from Delhi, argued that Asaram suffered from heart and other ailments and preferred Ayurvedic treatment for them.

But public prosecutor Anil Joshi countered that Asaram is currently undergoing treatment for Covid-19 at AIIMS and there is no point arguing on his bail plea until he is cured and has completed the 14-day isolation period.

Joshi said the AIIMS medical report did not point to any other physical ailment as stated by Asaram.

The court adjourned the hearing till May 21 and sought a fresh medical report from AIIMS.

Asaram had tested positive for coronavirus in Jodhpur Central jail and was admitted at MG Hospital on May 5 after he complained of difficulty in breathing.

Two days later, he was shifted to AIIMS, where he has been undergoing treatment for Covid-19. His condition is stated to be stable there.

In 2018, a Jodhpur court sentenced Asaram to life imprisonment for raping a minor at his ashram in Rajasthan five years earlier.