On June 30, the Supreme Court rejected Asaram’s bail plea, saying that it would consider granting it only if there was a grave medical necessity , “such as danger to life”. The court was hearing the religious leader’s plea challenging the Rajasthan High Court’s decision to uphold his conviction for raping a minor in 2013. In May this year, the High Court acquitted Asaram on charges related to gangrape. The bench criticised a committee headed by the Jodhpur district collector for rejecting the parole request, the newspaper reported. It showed that the panel had rejected the parole request based on concerns expressed by the police that Asaram “may abscond”, Dainik Bhaskar reported.