Overview
- The Supreme Court issued notice to the Rajasthan government on Asaram Bapu’s special leave petition on Tuesday, June 30, and refused to suspend his life sentence or grant interim bail at this stage.
- The bench of Justices M.M. Sundresh and Sheel Nagu said it will consider medical bail only for a grave necessity such as danger to life and gave Asaram liberty to seek urgent listing if his health deteriorates.
- The court directed that the medical facilities currently provided in custody must continue and asked the State and the survivor’s counsel to file their written responses within two to four weeks.
- The appeal challenges a May 27 Rajasthan High Court order that upheld key convictions in the 2013 Manai ashram case while acquitting some charges and two co‑accused; Asaram was originally convicted by a Special POCSO Court in 2018 and is also serving a separate Gujarat life sentence from 2023.
- The hearing highlights the clash between defence claims of advanced age and ailments and the state and survivor’s objections, and it sets a high judicial bar for medical bail in life‑sentence cases involving POCSO and juvenile‑protection provisions.