New Delhi: The Supreme Court today asked the Rajasthan government to respond to the bail pleas of self- styled religious figure Asaram Bapu who is facing trial in rape cases.

A bench of Justices A K Sikri and N V Ramana issued notice to the state government and sought its reply on two separate interim and regular bail pleas of Asaram.

Senior advocate and noted jurist Soli Sorabjee appearing for Asaram said he has been in jail for three years and needed to be granted bail.

The bench said it will take up the plea for interim bail on October 24 and for regular bail at a later stage.

On October 3, a medical board of All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) had told the apex Court that the health condition of Asaram was stable.

Asaram had refused to undergo several tests, the seven- member board had also said in its report filed before the bench of Justices A K Sikri and N V Ramana.

On August 11, the apex court had denied interim bail to Asaram in a rape case and directed AIIMS to set up a medical board to ascertain his health condition before taking up his regular bail plea.

Asaram was arrested by Jodhpur Police on August 31, 2013 and has been in jail since then.

On August 9, the High Court had rejected his bail application in the rape case.

A teenage girl had accused him of sexual assault at his ashram in Manai village near Jodhpur. The girl, who belonged to Shahjahanpur in Uttar Pradesh, was a student living in the ashram.

PTI