Asaram Bapu, a self-proclaimed godman, was granted permission by the Rajasthan High Court on Thursday to get ayurvedic treatment at the ‘Arogayadham Center’ in Jodhpur while in police detention.
A bench consisting of Justice Dinesh Mehta and Justice Vinit Kumar Mathur issued the following order on Asaram’s petition, declaring that the right to adequate treatment is his basic right and must be preserved.
The Bench Stated, “We, therefore, dispose of the present application by directing that the applicant’s treatment shall be carried out at ‘Arogayadham Center’ at Jodhpur, in police custody. It will be required of the Commissioner of Police or his nominated officer to first visit the Arogayadham Center and assess the situation more particularly in relation to security aspects.”
Asaram has been ordered to remain in the Arogayadham Center for 10 days after being admitted. The expense of therapy and the cost of hiring security guards to be stationed at Arogayadham Center shall be borne by Asaram alone, according to the court’s decision.
The Court has authorized the Commissioner of Police to return Asaram to the Central Jail in Jodhpur in the rare event that the situation involving law and order becomes unmanageable. In this case, the Commissioner of Police will need to submit his affidavit in support of the decision.
The Court also stipulated that Asaram would be placed in police custody in the Arogayadham Center after the completion of the necessary security procedures. Furthermore, the applicant’s security as well as the state of law and order in and around the Arogayadham Cente have been requested for, and the Commissioner of Police has been ordered to make the necessary measures to assure both.
Recall that a Rajasthani court sentenced 82-year-old Asaram Bapu to life imprisonment at Central Jail in Jodhpur as a result of his conviction. Following his conviction in a second rape case, a Gujarati court sentenced him to life imprisonment in January 2023.
Asaram filed a petition in the High Court after the Supreme Court last month denied his attempt to overturn an order from the Rajasthan High Court that had denied his request for a sentence suspension due to health concerns in a case in which he had been found guilty of the rape of a minor.
The Top Court did, however, make it clear that Asaram would be free to ask the High Court to allow him to get treatment in an Ayurvedic hospital without passing judgment on the case’s arguments. After that, he moved to the HC.