New Delhi: The Rajasthan high court on Wednesday (May 27) acquitted self-styled godman Asaram of charges related to gang rape and aggravated penetrative sexual assault under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, along with criminal conspiracy charges under the Indian Penal Code (IPC). The rape-convicted godman has been out on bail at least five times between 2018 and now, the latest being in late 2025, extended till July 7.A division bench, comprising Justice Arun Monga and Justice Yogendra Kumar Purohit, delivered the verdict at 8 AM, following appeals filed by the Asaram and his co-accused regarding their conviction by a Special POCSO court in Jodhpur in 2018.The bench absolved him of charges under Section 376(D) and Sections 5(G)/6 of the POCSO Act and IPC Section 120(B), pertaining to criminal conspiracy, on the grounds that evidence on record was “insufficient”. Co-accused Sharat Chandra and Sanchita Gupta (alias Shilpi), who had been sentenced to 20 years of rigorous imprisonment by the trial court for facilitating the victim’s access to Asaram and participating in criminal conspiracy, were also let go of by the high court.Life sentence upheld, bail extendedThe Rajasthan high court, meanwhile, upheld Asaram’s conviction under Section 376(2)(F) (rape of a minor by someone in a position of trust), backing the existing life imprisonment sentence for the remainder of his natural life. According to The Hindu, it also sustained convictions under Section 342 (wrongful confinement), 370(4) (trafficking), 506 (criminal intimidation), 509 (insulting the modesty of a woman) and 354(A) (sexual harassment) of the IPC, as well as Sections 7/8 of the POCSO Act and Section 23 of the Juvenile Justice Act.P.C. Solanki, appearing for the survivor, told reporters that the sentence remains fully operative and indicated that they would be challenging the co-accused’s acquittal in the Supreme Court after consulting with his client.Asaram was first sentenced to life imprisonment in 2018, when the special POCSO court found him guilty of sexually assaulting a minor girl in his ashram in Jodhpur in 2013.However, the courts have frequently granted him interim bail. He was granted short-term bail by the Rajasthan High Court on medical grounds in early 2024, and has remained out on successive extensions since October 2025. This year, Gujarat high court granted him on March 28 on medical grounda, initially for three months till June 15. His bail period was extended, a mere two days before the May 27 verdict, till July 7.A familiar patternAsaram is also not the only high-profile convict accused in a sexual offence case who has found the system accommodating. Dera Sacha Sauda chief Ram Rahim Singh, convicted in 2017 for raping two women disciples and sentenced to 20 years in prison, walked out of the Sunaria jail in Rohtak for the 16th time on Tuesday (May 26) since the verdict. His latest 30-day parole comes shortly after a 40-day parole granted in August 2025, a furlough in April 2025 and a 30-day parole in January 2025.The former Wrestling Federation of India chief and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader, Brij Bhushan, faced sexual harassment complaints from several prominent wrestlers, including a minor, which had led to widespread public protests in 2023. However, a Delhi court, last year, accepted a police closure report seeking to cancel the minor’s case after police said “no corroborative evidence” was found.Former BJP member of legislative assembly (MLA) Kuldeep Sengar, convicted for raping a minor in 2017 and separately found guilty in connection with the custodial death of the survivor’s father, had his sentence suspended by the Delhi High Court, allowing him out on bail. The Supreme Court this month stepped in to set the order aside, asking the court to reconsider the suspension of sentence, this time with the survivor’s counsel present.All cases, involving men of religious and political influence accused of serious sexual offences including those charged under the POCSO Act, have found the system forgiving and accommodating in a way that their victims have not.