Supreme Court to hear Asaram Bapu's rape conviction appeal in November

The Supreme Court of India has scheduled a hearing for November to consider the appeal of self-styled godman Asaram Bapu. Asaram is challenging the Rajasthan High Court's decision to uphold his life sentence regarding a 2013 rape case involving a minor.

A Bench comprising Justices J.B. Pardiwala and K. Vinod Chandran has directed the court registry to summon all trial court records in both physical and digital formats. These records will be provided to the petitioner, the state government, and the victim.

The court noted that the appeal will proceed once Asaram surrenders following the expiration of his current 20-day parole. The Bench also addressed Asaram's requests for temporary or medical bail, which had previously been declined by the Gujarat High Court. The Supreme Court indicated it would examine whether legal lapses in the original proceedings were sufficient to vitiate the conviction.