Jodhpur, Oct 6 (IANS) Asaram, who is serving a life sentence in a rape case involving a minor, has received relief from the Rajasthan High Court, which on Tuesday directed the state government to release him on 20-day parole in compliance with its earlier order dated August 3, 2026.
The court also directed the state government to submit a compliance report regarding the implementation of the order.
The matter was heard by a division bench comprising Justice Nupur Bhati and Justice Sanjeet Purohit.
A petition filed on behalf of Asaram stated that although the High Court had granted him 20-day parole in August, the state government had not implemented the order.
During the hearing, counsel for Asaram informed the court that the parole order issued on August 3, 2026, had not yet been acted upon by the state government.
The division bench subsequently directed the government to comply with its earlier order and release Asaram on parole.
Appearing for the state government, Additional Advocate General B.L. Bhati submitted that Asaram had also been convicted in a separate case by a court in Gandhinagar, Gujarat.
He further argued that the Gujarat High Court had rejected his parole plea in connection with that case.
However, the Rajasthan High Court did not accept this argument as a valid ground for withholding the implementation of its August 3 order.
The division bench observed that the state government had failed to place any legal basis before the court for setting aside or suspending the earlier order.
The court also clarified that the Gujarat High Court’s order rejecting emergency parole did not adversely affect the Rajasthan High Court’s order dated August 3.
During the hearing, the bench asked the state government whether it had challenged the August 3 order before the Supreme Court.
The Additional Advocate General informed the court that no such challenge had been filed.
The High Court consequently directed the state government to comply with its earlier order granting Asaram 20-day parole.
In 2018, a Special POCSO Court in Jodhpur convicted Asaram of raping and sexually assaulting a minor and sentenced him to imprisonment for the remainder of his natural life.
He has been serving the sentence since then and has periodically been permitted to visit medical facilities for treatment.
In January 2023, a Gandhinagar court sentenced Asaram to life imprisonment in a separate sexual assault case involving two sisters from Surat.
The state government cited this conviction while opposing the implementation of the Rajasthan High Court’s parole order.
However, the Rajasthan High Court rejected the state’s contention and directed the government to comply with its August 3 order.
–IANS
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