Self-styled godman Asaram Bapu’s quest for bail is set to continue as the Supreme Court on Monday dismissed his plea on medical grounds, stating that his instant plea is devoid of merit. The apex court also dismissed Asaram’s regular bail plea in sexual assault case lodged in Rajasthan while noting that it can’t overlook the fact that the trial was unnecessarily prolonged after attacks on prosecution witnesses.

Asaram’s bail saga in the Supreme Court began in October 2016, when it had rejected his interim bail plea on health grounds and asked him to get his treatment done in Rajasthan under judicial custody itself.

A bench of Justices AK Sikri and NV Ramana had said if Asaram wanted to undergo treatment, he could get the diagnosis done at Aiims, Jodhpur or at Rajasthan Ayurvedic Hospital while staying in judicial custody.

File imaged of Asaram Bapu. PTI

The apex court’s direction had come after Asaram said he wanted to undergo ayurvedic treatment in Delhi for which he needed one month’s interim bail.

However, on 3 October, a medical board of the Aiims had told the apex court that Asaram’s health was stable.

Last year, on 11 August, the apex court had denied interim bail to Asaram in a rape case and directed Aiims to set up a medical board to ascertain his health condition before taking up his regular bail plea.

On 9 August, two days prior to the apex court judgement, the high court had rejected his bail application in the rape case. This had been the ninth regular bail application of Asaram to be rejected. An interim bail plea had also been rejected by the high court in July last year.

Asaram was arrested by Jodhpur Police on 31 August, 2013 and has been in jail since then.

A teenage girl had accused him of sexual assault at his ashram in Manai village near Jodhpur. The girl, who belonged to Shahjahanpur in Uttar Pradesh, was a student living in the ashram.