Asaram OK, doesn’t need surgery, AIIMS says

NEW DELHI: Controversial religious leader Asaram Bapu’s hope to get bail on medical ground in a rape case dimmed with All Indian Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) medical board informing the Supreme Court on Monday that his health condition is good not warranting any surgery.
A bench of justices TS Thakur and AK Goel perused the medical report and said, “The report says he does not require any surgery and the problems faced by him can be taken care of by proper medication.”
Senior advocate Salman Khurshid, appearing for Asaram, wanted a copy of the medical report and sought time to file his client’s response to the report.After a brief hearing, the court granted two weeks to Asaram to file his response and posted the case for hearing on January 20.
The court had on October 15 directed the AIIMS Director to set up a medical board to review Asaram’s medical condition. The 76-year-old religious leader had sought interim bail on health grounds.
The court also asked Asaram, who has been in jail since September 2013 after a minor girl accused him of sexually assaulting her, to reimburse Rajasthan government the expenses incurred in bringing him to AIIMS from Jodhpur jail for his medical examination.
A Jodhpur court has already framed charges of rape, criminal conspiracy and other offences against Asaram after police filed charge-sheet on completing investigations into the minor girl’s complaint that he had sexually abused her in his Ashram at Jodhpur.