Self-styled godman Sarathi Baba alias Santosh Roul, who was released from jail on bail last month after remaining in custody for nearly four years, on Friday approached the Orissa High Court in a miscellaneous petition seeking some relaxations in his bail conditions.
The High Court had granted bail to Roul imposing as many as six stringent conditions. While Roul was asked not to take out any processions or rallies during his bail period, he was also asked not to visit his erstwhile ashram at Barimul in Kendrapada district.
He was also asked not to meet his followers, supporters and mediapersons and not to attend or give any spiritual discourses during the bail period.
The court has also asked him not to go outside the State without prior intimation to the Investigating Officer (IO). In case, he was to go anywhere inside the State, his address and telephone number should be furnished to the IO in a shield cover.
Now in his plea to the court, Roul has mentioned that he is comfortable with most of the bail conditions. But he wants some relaxations in the conditions imposed on his freedom of speech by restraining him from giving spiritual and religious discourses.
“Since I do not have any permanent source of income and I have taken huge amounts as hand loans to meet my litigation expenditure, I may be allowed to continue giving discourses with any other additional conditions as the court may deem proper,” Roul’s petition said.
