BALLIA: An FIR has been registered against Mahant Mouni Baba of the Khaira Mutt in Ballia district for allegedly raping a 17-year-old girl, police said on Saturday.
The case was registered on Friday under the Indian Penal Code and the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act on the order of a court passed on January 3, Ubhawn police station in-charge Gyaneshwar Mishra said.
The court order was received late leading to the delay in filing the FIR, he said, adding that the case is being investigated.
The teenager told reporters on Saturday that the Mahant "is a close relative and after her father's death, he had brought her to the mutt for teaching her and had been raping her for the last five years."
The girl said that after her repeated requests to police for justice had failed, she moved the court seeking FIR against the chief priest of the mutt.