Ajay Parmar, TNN Sep 17, 2013,
(Senior advocate Ram Jethmalani,…)

JODHPUR: The Jodhpur bench of the Rajasthan high court on Monday deferred the hearing on the bail application of Asaram Bapu till September 18. The court has also directed the prosecution to present the case diary in the court during the next hearing.

Meanwhile, the defence completed its arguments, which lasted for over an hour, in a jam-packed courtroom.

Senior advocate Ram Jethmalani, who appeared as the defence counsel to argue on the bail plea of Asaram, raised the same points as those in the district and sessions court during the first bail application.

He disputed the FIR, the scene of crime and the age of the girl and termed the entire case as fabricated.

Jethmalani mentioned that the girl was afflicted with a ‘chronic disease’ which draws a woman to a man and said this was subject to police investigation.

After the defence counsel completed his arguments, Justice Nirmal Jeet Kaur deferred the hearing till September 18 and directed the prosecution to present the case diary in the court in the next hearing.

One of the prosecution counsel Pradhyumn Singh said the prosecution will put forth its arguments in the next hearing.

He said there are two case diaries, one each from the investigation carried out at Chhindwara and Ahmedabad.

Meanwhile, the district and sessions court on Monday extended the judicial custody of Asaram and his aide Shiva till September 30.

During his appearance, Asaram requested the judge to allow him a personal female doctor for the treatment of his neurological disorder which he called ‘trinadi shool’. When the judge asked him about the disorder, he explained that it prevents him from taking a sound sleep at night. Judge Manoj Kumar Vyas however refused to consider his plea in the absence of a defence counsel.

It may be recalled that Asaram had shot off a letter direct to the court on 5 September through the jail administration making a plea to provide his personal doctor Neeta daily for two hours therapy for the treatment of chronic disease called “trinadi shool”. The manner, in which the letter was sent to the court, had left even the defence counsels suspicious but after verification of the same, they had found it to be a genuine letter written by Asaram. Court is yet to decide over this plea.