New Delhi: The Supreme Court today directed Rajasthan government to respond to a plea of self-styled religious figure Asaram Bapu, facing trial in rape cases, seeking modification of the court's order directing him to undergo treatment at AIIMS in Jodhpur.
A bench of Justices A K Sikri and N V Ramana directed the state government to file a reply to the plea along with full details of the hospital it proposes for treatment of Asaram. During the brief hearing, Additional Solicitor General Tushar Mehta appearing for Rajasthan government said there was a Mahatma Gandhi hospital where Asaram could undergo treatment for his ailments.
"There is a Mahatma Gandhi hospital, where all the judges of the High Court undergoes treatment and it has all state-of- art facilities. We can take him there," Mehta said.
"The investigating officer of the case was cross-examined by the defence 89 times and recently they even recalled the prime witnesses in the case, and since then all these sickness things have started," the ASG alleged.
The bench, however, asked the state to file its reply in one week with full details of the hospital.
Asaram had yesterday approached the apex court, seeking modification of its October 24, order directing him to undergo treatment at AIIMS in Jodhpur.
He had said that AIIMS, Jodhpur does not have in-patient facility and sought direction from the court to bring him to All India Institute of Medical Science (AIIMS), Delhi for further treatment.
The apex court had on October 24 rejected his interim bail plea sought on health grounds.
A seven-member medical board of AIIMS Delhi had told the apex court that Asaram's health condition was stable and that he had refused to undergo several tests.
Asaram was arrested by Jodhpur Police on August 31, 2013 and has been in jail since then. On August 9, the High Court had rejected his bail application in the rape case.
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.
