New Delhi, August 7, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
The Supreme Court on Friday declined to interfere with the Gujarat High Court’s refusal to suspend the sentence of self-styled godman Asaram’s son, Narayan Sai, in a rape case, but requested the High Court to make an endeavour to decide his pending criminal appeal within three months.
A Bench comprising Justices M.M. Sundresh and Prasanna B. Varale disposed of Sai’s special leave petition (SLP) after requesting the Gujarat High Court to hear and decide his appeal against conviction and sentence as expeditiously as possible, preferably within three months.
Sai had approached the apex court challenging the Gujarat High Court’s order rejecting his fifth successive application seeking suspension of sentence and grant of bail during the pendency of his appeal.
In its May 4 order, the Gujarat High Court had ruled that it was difficult to arrive at a prima facie conclusion that Sai had a fair chance of acquittal. The court observed that once a person is convicted of a serious offence, the presumption of innocence no longer survives, and therefore declined to suspend his life sentence.
The High Court had also rejected Sai’s plea based on prolonged incarceration, observing that he had himself contributed to the delay in the disposal of his appeal by repeatedly filing bail applications instead of pressing for a final hearing.
A Bench of Justices Ilesh J. Vora and R.T. Vachhani had remarked that Sai was “never ready” for the appeal to be heard and had adopted delaying tactics, thereby disentitling himself to discretionary relief.
Narayan Sai was convicted by a Surat trial court on April 30, 2019, for repeatedly sexually assaulting a woman devotee and was sentenced to life imprisonment. He was found guilty under various provisions of the Indian Penal Code, including Section 376(2)(c) (rape) and Section 377 (unnatural offences), with all sentences ordered to run concurrently.
According to the prosecution, the survivor came into contact with Sai during religious discourses at the Surat Ashram in 2001 and was subjected to repeated sexual assault at different ashrams in Surat, Bihar and Gambhoi between 2001 and 2004.
The FIR was registered in October 2013 after the woman allegedly gathered the courage to approach the police following the arrest of Sai’s father, Asaram, in a separate sexual assault case.
The Gujarat High Court had upheld the trial court’s findings that the survivor’s testimony was credible and that the delay in lodging the FIR was satisfactorily explained in view of the considerable influence exercised by Narayan Sai and Asaram over their followers.
Narayan Sai was arrested by the Delhi Police near the Punjab-Haryana border in December 2013 after remaining absconding for several months. He was subsequently tried, convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment.
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