Nashik court extends ‘godman’ Ashok Kharat’s police custody till Apr 1
Kharat, who heads a temple trust in Mirgaon in Nashik district and has been visited by many prominent Maharashtra politicians over the years, was arrested on March 18 after a woman accused him of repeatedly raping her for three years.
Ten FIRs have been registered against him so far at Sarkarwada police station in the city, eight alleging sexual assault or abuse and two for cheating.
The Special Investigation Team (SIT), which is probing him, has received more than 100 complaints, mostly from women, over the phone in the last few days, police said on Saturday.
Kharat appeared in court on Sunday after his earlier police custody ended.
The court asked Kharat if he had any complaints, to which Kharat answered in the negative.
During the hearing, prosecutor Shailendra Bagde said that the investigation into the case was ongoing and the accused was not cooperating. The investigation into the defendant’s assets still needs to be carried out. He said many women were still coming forward to complain and that investigations into the so-called “water” or liquid that Kharat gave to the victims to seduce them before sexually abusing them were yet to be carried out.
The defendant’s mobile phone data was scanned and a clone report was obtained. The prosecutor told the court that an investigation would be conducted into whether he hid the names of his contacts, especially political leaders, with fake identities, and that many digital evidence had not yet been checked.
The case is big and others will have to appear before the accused for investigation. Investigators also have not yet determined whether any accomplices were involved in the crime. He said Kharat’s three-day supervision was needed for all this.
The SIT submitted Kharat’s laptops, mobile phone and some documents to the court.
SIT officer Kirankumar Suryavanshi also informed the court about the investigation conducted so far and requested extension of Kharat’s police custody.
However, defense lawyer Sachin Bhate said the SIT gave the same reasons for police surveillance as given in the previous hearing.
What has SIT done in the investigation so far? he asked, claiming that the investigation was completed and there was no need to extend the detention period.
On the other hand, victim lawyer MY Kale supported the prosecutor’s request to extend Kharat’s detention period.
He said the accused was uncooperative and the investigating agency cannot be held responsible for it.
In his defense, Kale said, “These allegations and crimes are extremely disgusting and antisocial. They have the potential to destroy families and affect society. Therefore, considering the complexity of the allegations, the request for police custody should also be taken into consideration.” he said.
After hearing arguments, Additional Chief Justice (14th) MV Bharade extended Kharat’s police custody till April 1.
