29 April,2026 05:04 PM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondent
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A Nashik court on Wednesday remanded self-styled astrologer-cum-godman Ashok Kharat in judicial custody till May 12 in the seventh case of sexual exploitation registered against him, reported PTI.
Kharat allegedly sexually exploited several women and indulged in large-scale financial fraud by claiming to have divine powers and knowledge of black magic, reported PTI.
In the seventh case, he is accused of sexually exploiting a married woman who had approached him seeking solutions to her family problems.
The accused allegedly gave the woman something to drink, sexually assaulted her while her husband waited outside his office, and threatened to kill her if she disclosed the incident., reported PTI.
On Monday, the court had sent Kharat to the custody of the Special Investigation Team (SIT) till Wednesday in this case. He was produced before the court after the end of his police custody.
Due to security concerns, the proceedings were conducted via video conferencing.
During the hearing, police sought judicial custody, following which the court remanded him till May 12, reported PTI.
Kharat has been at the centre of a political controversy due to his alleged connections. Photographs of him with political leaders and prominent individuals have surfaced since his arrest on March 18, following allegations by a woman that he had repeatedly raped her over three years.
The SIT is currently investigating 12 cases of sexual exploitation and financial fraud registered against him in Nashik and Ahilyanagar districts.
NCP (SP) MLA Rohit Pawar on Tuesday alleged that Nashik-based godman Ashok Kharat is prima facie linked to the fatal plane crash involving his uncle and then Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar, and demanded his interrogation by the CID.
Speaking to reporters after visiting the CID office in Pune to take stock of the status of the plane crash investigation, he alleged that some occult rituals had been performed outside late Ajit Pawar's house through a small political leader in Baramati.
"A goat was found hanging near Ajitdada's house. Kharat had told a farmer that an attack on the Pawar family could happen in the near future. A small political leader from Baramati used to visit Kharat for rituals and was in contact with leaders close to Ajitdada," he alleged.
(With inputs from PTI)
