India, Aug. 6 -- The Supreme Court on Thursday declined to grant self-styled godman Asaram Bapu bail on medical grounds in a rape case in which he is serving a life sentence, while permitting him to engage a trained caretaker of his choice inside jail and allowing him to approach the court again if his health deteriorates.

A bench of justices MM Sundresh and PB Varale passed the order on a petition filed by the 86-year-old convict, who is serving a life sentence imposed by a Rajasthan court in a rape case.

The bench considered a report submitted by the medical board of the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), which recommended round-the-clock monitoring in view of his multiple health ailments but did not advise hospitalisati...