The Supreme Court on Thursday stayed a Gujarat High Court order granting two-week furlough to rape convict Narayan Sai, son of self-styled godman Asaram Bapu.
A Bench of Justices D. Y. Chandrachud and M. R. Shah issued a notice to Narayan Sai on the plea of the Gujarat government challenging the order of the single-judge Bench of the High Court.
The top court posted the matter for further hearing after two weeks. On June 24, the single-judge Bench of the Gujarat High Court had granted furlough to Narayan Sai.
Earlier, in December 2020, he was granted furlough by the High Court owing to the ill-health of his mother. On April 26, 2019, Narayan Sai was convicted under the Indian Penal Code Sections 376 (rape), 377 (unnatural offences), 323 (assault), 506-2 (criminal intimidation) and 120-B (conspiracy) by a Surat court and sentenced to life imprisonment.
Sai, also a self-styled godman is serving life sentence in a rape case filed by one of his and his father Asaram’s former devotees. The sister of the victim had filed a rape complaint against Asaram.
