The Special Investigation Team (SIT), which investigated the case, said that Ashok Kharat was not cooperating with the investigation. File | Photo credit: ANI
A day after he was remanded in magisterial custody in a rape and black magic case, self-proclaimed ‘man of God’ Ashok Kharat was sent to police custody till April 8, 2026, in another rape case by a Nashik court.
The Special Investigation Team (SIT), which investigated the case, said he was not cooperating with the investigation.
Mr Kharat appeared in court via video conference on Thursday (2 April 2026) and his lawyer said the objectionable videos had been selectively leaked to social media “on purpose”.
But the investigating officer told the court that the accused had raped the woman and impregnated her. “He gave her abortion drugs. He’s the mastermind. He didn’t cooperate with the police,” the officer said.
The prosecution argued that the victim was sexually abused multiple times between February 2020 and March 2026. “From time to time, she was threatened about the health of her children. When she got pregnant, he gave her abortion pills. He forced relatives of the victims like her brother and mother to give their Aadhaar cards and avail PAN cards.” the same modus operandi on all his victims,” argued the prosecution.
She sought Mr. Kharat’s remand for seven days so that the SIT could find out what medicines were given to the victim and why the accused took the documents from her family.
Throughout the hearing, Mr. Kharat stood in front of the camera with folded hands and declined to comment.
The counsel sought details of the FIR and sought to know the time frame of the said offence.
“Let me talk about the morals. Let me talk about the legal aspects. The allegation is that the woman went to him continuously for years. If she became pregnant and was forced to have an abortion, what is the time frame? The police had to invoke the Black Magic Act. Without it, the question of consent becomes irrelevant. The only recourse for the prosecution is a proven rape law, without which the Black Magic Act cannot be defended.
The lawyer said that police custody was not justified because most of the investigation was conducted on a previous crime. After hearing both sides and after seeking Mr. Kharat’s statement, the court remanded him in police custody.
Published – 02 Apr 2026 18:38 IST
