The Supreme Court on Thursday refused to grant interim bail to self-styled godman and rape convict Asaram on medical grounds but allowed him to engage a trained caretaker of his choice for round-the-clock assistance, based on recommendations in an AIIMS medical report, news agency ANI reported.

A bench of Justices MM Sundresh and PB Varale took note of the report submitted by the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) on July 31, which stated that while Asaram did not require hospitalisation, he needed continuous medical assistance.