Self-styled godman’s son, booked for sexual assault, gets three weeks' bail to meet his ailing mother

After spending 17 months behind bars in connection with an alleged rape case, self-styled godman Asaram’s son Narayan Sai on Tuesday walked out of Lajpor Central Jail on a three weeks temporary bail.

“The Gujarat High Court had yesterday granted 21-day temporary bail to Narayan Sai to attend to his ailing mother. He was released from Lajpor jail today at 11.35 a.m.,” a jail official said.

After being released from the jail, Sai left for Ahmedabad where his mother Lakshmiben will undergo a surgery for a cervical chord ailment, said the official.

Sai will be escorted by 22 policemen, including two crime branch men, a sub-inspector of Surat police along with 18 jawans of State Reserve Police Force (SRPF) during the bail period, he said.

The Gujarat High Court had on Monday granted conditional temporary bail to Sai, who will remain under police surveillance during his bail period.

The HC also ordered Sai to surrender in four days from the date of his release, if his mother’s surgery does not take place till then.

Sai was behind bars since December 2013 in the rape case filed by two Surat-based sisters, who had lodged two different rape complaints against him and his father Asaram.

Sai’s mother was also booked in the alleged rape case filed against Asaram by one of the sisters. Later, she was granted bail.

Sai was booked under various IPC sections, including rape, molestation and wrongful confinement.

The younger of the two sisters had in her complaint accused Sai of repeated sexual assault between 2002 and 2005 when she was living at his Surat ashram.