Supreme Court Says No to Asaram's Medical Bail Plea, But Allows Him a Full-Time Caretaker in Jail

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By Gopal Ram Tripathi

85-YEAR-Old ASARAMA BAPU, who is serving a life sentence for rape, went to the Supreme Court this week asking to be freed on medical grounds. He claimed his health was failing and pointed to serious ailments as proof that he needed to be out of jail. The case put the top court in a tricky spot: weighing a convict's genuine health needs against the fact that he is serving time for a very serious crime. On Thursday, August 6, 2026, the court gave its answer. It said no to bail for now, but yes to better medical care behind bars, a middle path that keeps Asaram in custody while easing some of his health worries. 

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The Supreme Court Turned Down The Plea Instead Suggested Caretakers To Help Asaram Around

On Thursday, the Supreme Court turned down a plea for interim bail from Asaram, the self-styled godman who is serving a life sentence for rape. He had asked to be let out on health grounds, saying his condition was getting worse. The judges did not agree to release him. However, they gave him one important relief: he can now hire a trained caretaker of his own choosing to stay with him in jail around the clock.

The order came from a two-judge bench made up of Justices M.M. Sundresh and P.B. Varale. Their decision rested heavily on a medical report sent by the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), dated July 31, 2026. Doctors at AIIMS had examined Asaram after the court asked them to form a special team of specialists to look into his health. Their conclusion was straightforward: he does not need to be moved to a hospital right now, but he does need continuous medical attention because of ongoing health problems.

Taking this report into account, and after the government's top lawyer, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, assured the court that AIIMS's advice would be followed fully, the bench passed its order. It said Asaram would be free to arrange a trained caregiver of his choice to look after him in jail at all hours of the day. The court also left the door open for the future, telling Asaram he can come back and ask for bail again if his health takes a turn for the worse. For now, though, his bail application has simply been put on hold rather than rejected outright.

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Asaram’s Plea Was Already Wasted In Religious Trips

Asaram's legal troubles go back to 2013, when he was convicted of raping a minor student at his ashram in Rajasthan. A special court handling cases under child protection laws sentenced him to life in prison in 2018. He challenged that conviction, but the Rajasthan High Court upheld the life sentence this past May. After that ruling, Asaram, who had been out on medical bail before then, went back to Jodhpur Central Jail in late May following a medical check-up.

He then approached the Supreme Court, arguing that his health was declining and that he was suffering from serious internal bleeding. His lawyers pointed to a list of ailments, including a heart condition, a blood disorder called thalassemia, and repeated episodes of blood loss, as reasons he should be allowed out.

But the state government pushed back hard. Solicitor General Mehta told the court that Asaram had not been upfront with the bench. He revealed that Asaram had also applied for parole separately, and the Rajasthan High Court had actually granted him a 20-day parole just a day before this hearing, something Mehta said Asaram failed to mention while seeking bail from the Supreme Court. Mehta also reminded the judges that Asaram had been granted medical bail only a few months earlier and had used that freedom to travel to religious sites like Kashi Vishwanath and Ayodhya, which the state argued undercut his claims of being too unwell to move.

The Supreme Court noted this lack of disclosure with some disapproval but made clear that its order was based purely on the AIIMS medical findings, not on the merits of his criminal case itself.

It's worth remembering that this isn't Asaram's only legal battle. Besides the Rajasthan case, he is also serving a separate life sentence for rape in a case tied to his ashram in Motera, Gujarat. That case is still being appealed before the Gujarat High Court.

For now, Asaram stays in jail, but with a bit more comfort than before, thanks to the round-the-clock caretaker the court has allowed him. The bigger question of whether he gets bail on health grounds remains unresolved, and the Supreme Court has made it clear it will revisit the matter only if his condition genuinely worsens. Given his age, his long list of health issues, and the seriousness of the crimes he has been convicted of, this case is likely to keep drawing attention as it moves forward.

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