A court in Nashik on Sunday extended the police custody of self-styled godman Ashok Kharat until April 1 in connection with a rape case, reported PTI. Kharat, who headed a temple trust in Mirgaon village of the district and had reportedly been visited by several prominent Maharashtra politicians over the years, was arrested on March 18. The arrest followed allegations by a woman who accused him of repeatedly sexually assaulting her over a period of three years. So far, ten FIRs have been registered against him at Sarkarwada police station, including eight related to sexual assault or exploitation and two for cheating.
The Special Investigation Team (SIT), which is probing the case, informed that it has received more than 100 phone complaints in recent days, most of them from women, PTI reported. Kharat was produced before the court after his earlier police custody ended, and when asked by the judge if he had any complaints, he responded in the negative. During the hearing, public prosecutor Shailendra Bagde stated that the investigation remains ongoing and alleged that the accused has not been cooperating. He added that inquiries into Kharat’s properties are pending, while more women are continuing to come forward with complaints.
The prosecutor further told the court that investigators have yet to examine the nature of a so-called “water” or liquid allegedly given by Kharat to victims before exploiting them, the report added. He said that while the accused’s mobile phone data has been scanned and a clone report obtained, further scrutiny is required, including whether contacts, particularly political leaders, were stored under false identities. Digital evidence is still being examined, and authorities must determine if any accomplices were involved. Despite defence lawyer Sachin Bhate arguing that custody extension was unnecessary, and the victim’s lawyer M Y Kale supporting the prosecution, Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate MV Bharade extended custody till April 1.