JAIPUR — Drawing a firm line on judicial loopholes, the Rajasthan High Court clarified this week that a convicted godman serving a life sentence for rape is not on the verge of imminent death, despite his legal team's steady, annual assurances to the contrary.

Court records indicate the high-profile convict first developed a fatal, bail-requiring condition during the 2021 COVID-19 pandemic. Upon denial, the affliction mutated into unspecific "multiple ailments" in 2022, before escalating into a requirement for urgent, bail-dependent surgery in 2023. Independent medical assessments provided to the bench have consistently contradicted the defense's claims of critical illness, forcing the judiciary to expend massive resources repeatedly reviewing the same man's imminent demise.

"We must balance humanitarian concerns with ensuring justice for victims," said a court official, carefully placing the latest rejected application on a towering stack of identical filings that have generated continuous fees for the defense team. "However, given his remarkable ability to survive three consecutive years of supposedly terminal conditions, we are confident his health is robust enough to remain in prison."