JAIPUR: The Rajasthan High Court has upheld self-styled Godman Asaram's life imprisonment for raping a minor.
The High Court in Jodhpur refused to give any relief in the rape case for which Asaram is serving a life sentence. The Court has ordered Asaram to surrender immediately.
Although the court has acquitted him of charges of gang rape, his conviction on all other charges has been sustained.
Asaram is currently out on bail on medical grounds.
Along with co-accused Shilpi and Sharatchand, Asaram had filed an appeal in the High Court challenging the earlier conviction and sentence in the case of raping a minor. After hearing arguments from all sides, the High Court had reserved its verdict on April 20.
The victim's counsel, P.C. Solanki, told the media that while the High Court has dismissed Asaram's appeal, co-accused Shilpi and Sharatchand have been acquitted in the gangrape case. The High Court did not accept the charges of gang rape, but the life imprisonment sentence in the rape case has been upheld.
On Wednesday, a Division Bench comprising Justice Arun Monga and Justice Yogendra Kumar Purohit, while hearing the appeals of all three accused - including Asaram - clarified that there would be no alteration to the sentence imposed by the lower court.
This shocking case dates back to August 2013, when a minor student studying at an ashram in Jodhpur accused Asaram of rape. Following the trial, a Special POCSO Court in Jodhpur convicted Asaram on April 25, 2018, and sentenced him to life imprisonment.
Asaram subsequently filed an appeal against this verdict in the Rajasthan High Court. The High Court conducted continuous day-to-day hearings from February 16 to April 20, 2026, after which the court reserved its judgment.
During the hearing, the defense counsel termed the case as fabricated, pointing out contradictions in the statements given by the victim and her family. Citing the 'principle of parity,' the defense contended that since the trial court had acquitted co-accused Sharad and Prakash based on the same evidence, Asaram could not be held guilty.
Conversely, the prosecution maintained that in POCSO cases, the victim's statement alone is sufficient evidence. Government lawyers argued that attacks on and murders of witnesses in the case demonstrated a conspiracy by the accused to destroy evidence.
The 86-year-old Asaram had been persistently seeking bail on grounds of advancing age and various ailments. In January 2025, the Supreme Court granted him his first interim medical bail, subject to certain conditions.
Subsequently, on August 27, 2025, the Rajasthan High Court rejected Asaram's plea to extend his bail period. However, on October 29, 2025, the High Court granted him medical bail for a period of six months.
On December 8, 2025, the Supreme Court dismissed a petition seeking the cancellation of his bail and directed the High Court to adjudicate the appeal within three months.
Asaram had also been sentenced to life imprisonment in January 2023 in a case involving the rape of a female follower at his ashram in Gandhinagar, Gujarat.