Astrologer Ashok Kharat (File photo)
NASHIK: A court in Maharashtra’s Nashik on Wednesday remanded self-styled godman Ashok Kharat, accused in multiple rape cases, to 14 days of judicial custody.Kharat was arrested on March 18 after a 35-year-old woman accused him of repeatedly sexually assaulting her over a span of three years.
Following his arrest, several more women came forward with similar allegations.
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With his police custody ending on Wednesday, he was produced before the court, where the Special Investigation Team (SIT) sought judicial custody. Accepting the request, sessions judge B N Ichpurani sent him to judicial custody till April 14. He will be lodged at Nashik Road Central Jail.Kharat is also scheduled to be produced before another court on Thursday in connection with a separate case.So far, at least 10 FIRs — including eight related to alleged sexual assault and two for cheating — have been registered against him at Sarkarwada police station. The SIT has also received over 100 complaints via phone, indicating the scale of allegations.On Wednesday, the SIT briefly detained Kharat’s son, Harshvardhan, for questioning from their residence in Karmayogi Nagar. He was later released the same night.
Investigators are also searching for Kharat’s wife, Kalpana, who is reportedly named in a cheating case in Ahilyanagar district.Kharat, who heads a temple trust in Sinnar, had over the years attracted visits from several political figures. Last week, the SIT, along with a forensic team, searched his office in Nashik and seized documents and other materials as evidence.Among the items recovered was a 20-foot remote-controlled mechanised snake, which Kharat allegedly used to convince followers that he possessed supernatural powers by controlling a live serpent.(With agnecy inputs)
