AHMEDABAD, Oct 18 : The Gujarat High Court on Friday allowed imprisoned rape convict Narayan Sai to meet his father and self-styled godman Asaram in Rajasthan’s Jodhpur jail for four hours on “humanitarian grounds” due to the health of the latter.
Narayan Sai is currently lodged in a Surat jail for repeatedly sexually assaulting a woman at his father’s ashram between 2002 and 2005. His father Asaram is also serving a life sentence in Jodhpur Central Jail for the sexual exploitation of a minor. The division bench of Justices Ilesh Vora and SV Pinto, while declining Sai’s request for 30-day temporary bail to meet his father, allowed him to meet Asaram in Jodhpur jail for four hours on “humanitarian grounds” under police protection and at his own cost. In his application seeking bail for 30 days, Sai had claimed Asaram was 86 years old and was “suffering from various life threatening ailments and at a very high risk of life”. “Health condition of the father of the applicant is very alarming, highly critical and extremely worrisome as he has suffered several heart attacks while in jail. With each passing moment, his medical condition is significantly deteriorating and the jail authorities are not equipped with handling such exigencies,” Sai’s lawyers submitted. Praying for relief, Sai stated that he is the only son of Asaram and had not been able to meet his father for more than 11 years. Looking at the extremely critical health condition of the father, his physical presence is required to make effective and proper arrangements for better treatment of his father, Sai’s application contended. Sai’s advocate further submitted that if the court was not inclined to release the applicant on temporary bail, “orders for arrangements at the cost of the applicant be made for him to meet his father personally who is lodged in Jodhpur jail in Rajasthan”. The applicant is ready and willing to bear all the expenses at his own cost for him to be taken even by air with police protection to Jodhpur Jail in Rajasthan, the plea said, adding he would abide by all terms and conditions of the court. During previous hearings, Public Prosecutor Hardik Dave had vehemently opposed Sai’s application. He had told court “that there are a number of followers and some are aggressive and have assaulted witnesses in the past”. “Dave had raised a concern that if the news of the applicant being released or removed from jail is revealed and is made viral through the electronic media, the followers/devotees/supporters will gather and there is likelihood of breach of public law and order situation and has urged this court to reject the present application for temporary bail,” the order stated. “On humanitarian grounds, as well as considering the documents regarding the health condition of Asaram and the fact that the applicant has not met his father since last 11 years, we deem it fit to direct that Sai be taken by air to Jodhpur Jail with police escort,” the HC order said. That escort would comprise one assistant commissioner of police, one police inspector, two head constables and two constables at the costs and expenses of the applicant, it said. The HC bench further asked Sai to deposit Rs 5 lakh in the government treasury towards the said expenses. After the amount is deposited by the applicant, necessary arrangements to take him shall be made by the concerned authority within a period of seven days, the order said. The applicant will be taken directly from Lajpore Central Jail in Surat to the prison in Jodhpur, where he will be lodged during the four hour meeting, the court order said. The Jodhpur jail authority shall not permit any other person such as sister, mother or others to meet the applicant during this period, the court said. Except the applicant, no other person will be present during the meeting of father and son, the bench directed. Sai will be brought back to Lajpore Central Jail in Surat by flight at the earliest, the order stated. (PTI)
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