Nashik court remanded self-styled godman Ashok Kharat to judicial custody till April 30 in the fourth case of sexual assault and exploitation of a woman. The victim in this case had reached out to Kharat to aid her in finding a solution to family issues.
The court had earlier remanded Kharat in the custody of the Special Investigation Team (SIT) in this case till April 18. The SIT is probing the cases of sexual assault and financial fraud registered against him.
After Kharat's custody in this case came to an end, he was produced before Chief Judicial Magistrate (CJM) B N Ichpurani.
Due to security reasons, the court proceedings were held through video conferencing and the accused, a Nashik district resident, was not produced before the CJM in person.
Due to a technical snag, there was some delay in initiating the proceedings. During the hearing, the police sought Kharat's judicial custody.
Accordingly, the CJM remanded him in judicial custody till April 30. He will be sent to the Nashik Road Central Jail.
The SIT will produce Kharat in a court on Sunday again and seek his police custody in the fifth case of sexually assaulting a woman. Kharat is facing at least 12 criminal cases in Nashik and Ahilyanagar districts, including eight for sexual assault.
The 'godman' heads a temple trust at Sinnar in Nashik district and met several political leaders over the years. After his arrest, photos of Kharat with prominent politicians went viral, causing a political firestorm in the state.
The controversial 'godman' was arrested on March 17 after a 35-year-old woman lodged a rape complaint against him at the Sarkarwada police station in Nashik.
With inputs from PTI