The Rajasthan High Court has directed the Jodhpur Central Jail administration to restore and continue special medical and support facilities for convicted self-styled godman Asaram, including alkaline water, outside food, a separate bed, and bedding. The order was passed after the jail administration withdrew several of these facilities following Asaram's surrender on 28 May 2025.

What the Court Ordered

Disposing of a criminal writ petition filed on Asaram's behalf, a single bench of Justice Sanjeev Prakash Purohit held that a prisoner's age and medical requirements do not lapse simply because an appeal has been decided. 'The age and health needs of a prisoner do not cease to exist merely because the appeal against him has been disposed of. Facilities earlier granted by the Supreme Court and the High Court should continue to ensure protection of his medical needs and human rights,' the court observed.

The court permitted the continuation of one meal from an outside source and allowed the supply of alkaline water, subject to conditions set in earlier judicial orders. It also directed that the services of two assistants be maintained, though it rejected Asaram's request to appoint assistants of his own choosing, leaving that selection to the jail administration.

Medical Conditions Cited

Asaram's counsel, advocates R.S. Saluja and Yashpal Singh Rajpurohit, argued that the 85-year-old convict's health had not improved, yet the jail had discontinued court-mandated facilities. Medical records placed before the High Court documented multiple ailments, including severe heart disease, diabetes, kidney-related complications, osteoporosis, and muscle weakness, among other chronic conditions.

The court declined to grant permanent permission for a private ambulance but directed authorities to ensure an appropriate ambulance is available in the event of a medical emergency. It further allowed private physician Sachit Bhola to visit Asaram inside the jail once every 15 days. The court also clarified that all medical permissions granted by various courts in the past would continue to remain in force.

Background: Life Sentence Upheld

The order follows a significant ruling by a division bench of the Rajasthan High Court, comprising Justice Arun Monga and Justice Yogendra Kumar Purohit, which upheld Asaram's life sentence in the 2013 sexual assault case involving a minor student at his Jodhpur ashram. While affirming the trial court's verdict, the bench noted that while prison walls confine the accused, 'there are no walls that can contain the lifelong trauma suffered by the victim.'

The division bench subsequently cancelled Asaram's interim bail and directed his immediate surrender. In the same judgment, co-accused Shilpi, a hostel warden, and Sharat Chandra, director of the Gurukul, were acquitted due to a lack of evidence linking them to any criminal conspiracy.

The 2013 Case: A Timeline

The case dates to August 2013, when allegations surfaced that a minor student had been sexually assaulted inside a hut at Asaram's Manai Ashram in Jodhpur. A trial court convicted Asaram in April 2018 and sentenced him to life imprisonment. Following the High Court's recent affirmation of that verdict, he returned to Jodhpur Central Jail to serve the remainder of his sentence.

The latest order underscores the legal tension between punitive incarceration and the constitutional obligation to preserve a prisoner's health and dignity — a question courts will likely continue to navigate as Asaram ages in custody.