Nashik court extends ‘godman’ Ashok Kharat’s police custody till April 1 in rape case

A court in Nashik on Sunday extended the police custody of self-styled godman Ashok Kharat, arrested in a rape case, till April 1. Kharat, who headed a temple trust at Mirgaon in Nashik district and whom several prominent Maharashtra politicians visited over the years, was arrested on March 18 after a woman accused him of raping her repeatedly over three years.

Ten FIRs, eight for alleged sexual assault or exploitation and two for cheating, have so far been registered against him at Sarkarwada police station in the city. The Special Investigation Team (SIT), which is conducting a probe against him, has received more than 100 complaints, most of them from women, over the phone in the last few days, police said on Saturday.

Kharat was produced before the court on Sunday after the end of his previous police custody.

The court asked Kharat whether he had any complaints, to which he replied negatively.

During the hearing, public prosecutor Shailendra Bagde said the investigation in the case was still on and the accused was not cooperating.

The inquiry into the properties of the accused is still to be done. Many women are still coming forward to lodge complaints and the inquiry is yet to be done into the so-called “water” or liquid that Kharat used to give the victims to seduce them before sexually exploiting them, he said. The mobile phone data of the accused has been scanned, and a clone report has been received. An inquiry is to be conducted into whether he saved the names of his contacts — especially political leaders — with dummy identities and many digital evidences are yet to be checked, the prosecutor told the court.

The case is big and others will have to be brought before the accused for the inquiry. Investigators also have yet to determine whether any accomplices were involved in the crime. For all this, Kharat’s three-day custody is needed, he said. The SIT submitted Kharat’s laptops, mobile phone and some documents before the court.  SIT officer Kirankumar Suryavanshi also informed the court about the investigation done so far and demanded extension of Kharat’s police custody.

Defence lawyer Sachin Bhate, however, said the SIT was giving the same reasons that had been cited for police custody during the earlier hearing.

What has the SIT done in the investigation to date? He asked, claiming that the probe has been completed and there is no reason to extend the police custody.

On the other side, lawyer M Y Kale, representing a victim, supported the prosecutor’s demand for extension of Kharat’s police custody. The accused has not cooperated and the investigating agency cannot be held responsible for it, he said.

“These allegations and crimes are very heinous and anti-social. They have the potential to devastate families and impact society at large. Therefore, considering the intricacy of the allegations, the demand for the police custody should be considered,” Kale said in his argument.

After hearing the arguments, Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate (14th) MV Bharade extended Kharat’s police custody till April 1.