Nashik court remands ‘godman’ Kharat to 5-day police custody

A court in Nashik on Tuesday remanded self-styled godman Ashok Kharat to police custody till April 18 in the fourth case of rape against him for allegedly sexually exploiting a woman who had approached him seeking solutions to her family problems.

The special investigation team (SIT) probing the cases against the former merchant navy officer had on Monday filed a request application demanding his custody in the fourth case. As the court granted them the necessary permission, the SIT took Kharat’s custody and produced him in the court of Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate AG Behere on Tuesday.

During the proceedings held via video-conferencing, public prosecutor Shailendra Bagde pleaded that a further inquiry was necessary in the case. He alleged that the accused had administered sedatives to the victim, who had approached him seeking solutions for some family problems, and sexually exploited her.

Kharat’s lawyer, Satish Bhate, however, argued that the accused had been in police custody for a long time, and since the SIT has investigated the case, further police remand was not needed.

However, considering the sensitive nature of the case, the court granted five-day police custody to Kharat till April 18.

Kharat faces nearly a dozen cases, eight of them related to sexual assaults.