Court allows ayurvedic treatment for Asaram

A court in Rajasthan Tuesday allowed special ayurveda treatment for spiritual guru Asaram Bapu inside or outside the Jodhpur Central Jail where he is lodged for the past three months after arrest on charges of sexually assaulting a minor girl, a lawyer said.

The court of district and sessions judge (Jodhpur rural) permitted prison authorities to facilitate the treatment by experts from the Dr. Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan Rajasthan Ayurved University in Jodhpur, some 350 km from Jaipur.

“We filed an application in the court stating that Asaram Bapu is suffering from a neurological disease for the past 15 years and was prescribed special ayurveda medicines for the same. Despite requests, prison authorities were not allowing these medicines,” said Asaram’s lawyer J.S Chaudhary.

He said the court summoned the Jodhpur Central Jail superintendent for an explanation.

“The court directed him to provide the treatment to Asaram Bapu through the university’s ayurveda experts,” said the lawyer.

On Aug 20, the 16-year-old girl lodged a police complaint accusing Asaram, 72, of sexually assaulting her at his ashram near Jodhpur.

In her complaint, she alleged that Asaram’s aides sent her to his Jodhpur ashram on the pretext that she was under the influence of an “evil spirit” and the spiritual guru could perform an exorcism.

Asaram was arrested from his ashram in Indore, Madhya Pradesh, and brought to Jodhpur Sep 1. He has been in the Jodhpur Central Jail since Sep 2.–IANS