Asaram Bapu Undergoes Cardiac Treatment Amid Life Sentence

Self-styled godman Asaram Bapu, serving a life sentence for rape, is receiving heart-related treatment at an Ayurvedic hospital in Khopoli. He was transferred under heavy police protection following court orders. Convicted in multiple sexual assault cases, his earlier pleas for sentence suspension were rejected.

Self-styled godman Asaram Bapu, who is serving a life sentence in Jodhpur Central Jail for raping a minor, has been brought to a medical facility at Khopoli in Maharashtra's Raigad district for treatment of a heart-related ailment, officials said on Wednesday.

According to a senior police official, Asaram, 83, was taken to the multidisciplinary cardiac care clinic of an Ayurvedic hospital in Khopoli, around 70 km from here, with full police protection. He was arrested in September 2013 and convicted by a special POCSO court in 2018 for the rape of a teenage girl. He will undergo treatment for a week.

The Rajasthan High Court approved his treatment on August 13, allowing him to be moved to an Ayurvedic hospital under police custody. Upon arrival at Mumbai airport, Asaram was transported to Khopoli with a police escort. Earlier pleas for suspension of his sentence on health grounds were rejected by higher courts. In January 2023, a Gujarat court convicted him in another sexual assault case and sentenced him to life imprisonment.

(With inputs from agencies.)