Overview
- Self-styled godman Ashok Kharat was arrested in Nashik on rape charges based on an FIR alleging repeated assaults from 2022 to 2025 and has been remanded in police custody till March 24.
- A state-appointed SIT led by senior IPS officer Tejasvi Satpute has seized roughly 100 objectionable video files, including material recovered after arresting Kharat’s personal assistant.
- Rupali Chakankar resigned as chair of the Maharashtra State Commission for Women after being called by Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, as images of her performing rituals for Kharat circulated online.
- Shiv Sena (UBT) and Congress leaders demand Chakankar be named a co-accused and call for call-detail record checks, asset scrutiny and possible Enforcement Directorate involvement targeting Kharat’s political patrons.
- The probe now examines aides and alleged patronage, including a 2020 decision allocating Darna Dam water to Kharat’s trust, while the government cites a high-level DGP-led inquiry and warns against politicisation.