Nashik court remands 'godman' Ashok Kharat to 5-day police custody in fourth rape case

A court in Nashik on Tuesday remanded selfstyled godman Ashok Kharat to five days of police custody in connection with a fourth rape case where he is accused of sexually exploiting a woman who had approached him for help with personal and family issues reported PTIThe order was passed by the court of Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate A G Behere which allowed the Special Investigation Team SIT to take Kharat into custody until April 18 for further investigation reported PTISIT seeks custody citing need for further investigationThe SIT probing multiple cases against Kharat had moved an application seeking his custody in the latest case After securing permission officials produced the accused before the court via videoconferencing on TuesdayPublic prosecutor Shailendra Bagde argued that further custodial interrogation was necessary to uncover details related to the allegations He told the court that the accused had allegedly administered sedatives to the complainant before sexually assaulting her reported PTIInvestigators maintained that additional questioning could help establish the sequence of events and gather crucial evidence in the caseDefence opposes remand cites prolonged custodyKharatrsquos counsel Satish Bhate opposed the SITrsquos plea arguing that the accused had already been in police custody for a considerable period He contended that since the SIT had been investigating the matter further remand was not required reported PTIThe defence urged the court to deny additional custody stating that continued detention was unnecessary at this stage of the investigationCourt grants custody considering seriousness of chargesAfter hearing both sides the court granted the SITrsquos request citing the serious and sensitive nature of the allegations The magistrate allowed police custody till April 18 to enable further probe into the case reported PTIThe proceedings were conducted through video conferencing with both prosecution and defence presenting their arguments before the courtMultiple cases registered against the accusedKharat a former merchant navy officer is currently facing nearly a dozen criminal cases including at least eight related to sexual assault The latest development marks the fourth rape case registered against him reported PTIAuthorities are continuing their investigation into the multiple complaints with the SIT examining evidence and statements from victimsProbe ongoing amid serious allegationsOfficials said the investigation remains active and further developments are expected as the SIT continues to question the accused during the custody periodThe case has drawn attention due to the number of allegations against Kharat and the nature of the accusations with law enforcement agencies focusing on ensuring a thorough and impartial probeWith inputs from PTI