Ahmedabad: Gujarat High Court on Tuesday denied temporary bail for 20 days to Ashumal Harpalani alias Asaram, who was awarded life sentence by a Gandhinagar court for the rape of one of his former followers. HC permitted him to approach Supreme Court.Asaram had sought temporary bail on the grounds that he has been granted 20-day parole by Rajasthan High Court, where his appeal against a life sentence was rejected in connection with a Pocso case in Jodhpur.His counsel submitted that if Gujarat HC did not grant him temporary bail for 20 days, Rajasthan HC’s order of parole will remain “a paper order”. He also submitted that Asaram has spent over 13 years in prison. There was no case of misuse of bail and no instance of danger to society or to any witness when he was released from jail.Public prosecutor Hardik Dave opposed the bail plea and submitted that Asaram’s application for bail on health grounds was considered by Supreme Court. He added that when parole is not a right to be claimed, the discretionary authority of the HC ought not to be exercised in the absence of a specific reason for bail.After the hearing, a bench of Justice Gita Gopi and Justice L S Pirzada rejected Asaram’s plea and noted how certain details regarding proceedings before SC were not disclosed before Rajasthan HC. “Apprehension of the serious danger to the family of the complainant was also highlighted,” HC noted in its order.Asaram was granted interim bail on health grounds by the apex court in Jan 2025. Gujarat and Rajasthan HCs then extended his bail until his appeal against conviction in the Pocso case in Jodhpur was rejected by Rajasthan HC in June.
