A cloak of stars and trail of scars: The dark orbit of 'astrologer' Ashok Kharat

The Ashok Kharat saga began successful mid‑March 2026, erstwhile Nashik constabulary arrested self‑proclaimed astrologer and spiritual advisor wide referred to arsenic a “godman” connected charges of repeatedly sexually assaulting a 35‑year‑old pistillate implicit respective years.

The pistillate alleged that Kharat utilized his expected supernatural powers to instill fearfulness and coerce compliance, including threats that her hubby would dice if she didn’t obey him and assaulting her aft giving her sedative‑laced concoctions disguised arsenic ritual “holy water.” The archetypal FIR was registered connected March 17, starring to Kharat being remanded successful constabulary custody portion a Special Investigation Team (SIT) was constituted to probe not lone the intersexual battle lawsuit but besides related charges of exploitation and fiscal wrongdoing.

A cascade of FIRs

Soon aft the archetypal arrest, much women began registering FIRs against Kharat, suggesting a signifier of maltreatment nether the guise of spiritual guidance.A seventh rape lawsuit was added erstwhile a 24‑year‑old pistillate accused him of giving her sedative‑laced h2o nether the pretext of helping her vocation and repeatedly sexually exploiting her betwixt July and December 2024. Police charged him nether assorted sections, including those against rape and blackmail, and the authorities authorities expanded the SIT to grip the increasing caseload.

In summation to rape complaints, the SIT received implicit 100 calls from alleged victims oregon relatives, with complaints ranging from intersexual harassment to cheating and exploitation. Some callers described being charged exorbitant fees oregon sold inexpensive items astatine precocious prices, allegedly nether the astrologer’s influence. This deluge of complaints led to a flurry of FIRs and signalled the standard of the alleged exploitation racket.

Soon, the fig of registered cases exceeded eight, including non‑sexual offences specified arsenic cheating and extortion.

The 'financial crimes'

Beyond intersexual exploitation, the probe widened to economical offences. An FIR for cheating, transgression breach of spot and amerciable wealth lending was registered successful Shirdi’s Ahilyanagar district, each linked to onshore worthy astir ₹10 crore that Kharat allegedly acquired done fraudulent indebtedness agreements and forced transactions.

Two associates were arrested, portion Kharat’s woman — Kalpana — and different accused remained absconding.

In a abstracted development, an different lawsuit wherever a Pune businessman alleged that Kharat utilized fear, achromatic magic and threats to extract luxury gifts and payments worthy astir Rs 5 crore implicit years — a signifier reminiscent of extortion.

The sanction 'Captain Baba'

Kharat hailed from Kahandalwadi colony successful Nashik district. His aboriginal years were marked by turbulence — aft failing his Class 10 introspection successful the 1970s, his begetter reportedly gave him Rs 4,000 to manus implicit to someone, but helium allegedly fled with the wealth instead.Years later, Kharat claimed to person joined the merchant navy, asserting that helium roseate to the fertile of skipper wrong a decade.

However, immoderate accounts contradict this, suggesting his stint lasted lone astir 4 years and that helium did not emergence beyond the presumption of a sailor.In the 1990s, helium shifted to Nashik city, wherever helium began moving arsenic an astrologer and look reader. By the aboriginal 2000s, helium had established a existent property advisory firm, ‘Okas Property’, successful Canada Corner areaDespite its stated purpose, sources indicated that astir interactions astatine the bureau revolved not astir spot deals but occult practices.His claims of having studied astrology and numerology internationally helped him rapidly physique a following, yet earning him the name.

An probe

The SIT’s enactment has extended beyond FIRs, with authorities collecting grounds from Kharat’s bureau and related premises. Forensic teams seized devices and recovered alleged grounds of manipulation — including telephone contacts saved nether assorted aliases — and are examining whether drugs oregon different substances were utilized to incapacitate victims. While archetypal custody was extended till April 1, the tribunal subsequently remanded Kharat to 14 days of judicial custody, marking a cardinal procedural development.

Who exposed the 'godman'?

The alleged vulnerability came done 35-year-old bureau adjunct Neeraj Jadhav, who himself has been accused of attempting to blackmail Kharat earlier yet handing implicit grounds to the police.Jadhav had reportedly begun moving for Kharat successful 2019. Over time, helium is said to person go suspicious of his employer’s activities.

Acting connected these doubts, he, on with a friend, allegedly installed a concealed camera wrong Kharat’s bureau to cod evidence.

A governmental storm

As the probe gathered pace, the lawsuit rapidly transcended its transgression roots to go a large governmental contention successful Maharashtra. At the centre of the governmental backlash was Rupali Chakankar, the chairperson of the Maharashtra State Commission for Women and a elder person of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP).

Following repeated allegations astir her links with Kharat and his trust, Chakankar was asked by main curate Devendra Fadnavis to measurement down from the women’s committee to guarantee an impartial investigation. Shortly aft resigning arsenic the women’s sheet chief, Chakankar besides discontinue her relation arsenic authorities president of the NCP’s women’s wing, nether interior enactment unit and amidst mounting disapproval from absorption parties and activists. In her resignation statement, she denied immoderate fiscal oregon progressive engagement successful Kharat’s alleged crimes.Chakankar’s resignation did small to quell the governmental uproar. Opposition parties, including Shiv Sena (UBT) and Congress, argued that it was not capable and demanded ineligible enactment and a broad probe into her relation with the accused astrologer. They called for her inclusion successful FIRs and for transparency successful the probe’s governmental dimensions. The contention besides sparked treatment wrong the NCP, with enactment members urging elder leadership, including Sunetra Pawar, present authorities NCP president, to enactment decisively to enactment up the party’s image. Calls came for broader accountability and for governmental figures who had visited oregon publically supported Kharat implicit the years to explicate themselves. Across the aisle, activists and critics painted the contention arsenic symptomatic of deeper issues successful Maharashtra politics, with immoderate absorption voices adjacent likening the fallout to high‑profile planetary scandals, demanding caller accountability measures and unfortunate enactment mechanisms.

Beyond FIRs

The contention has besides led to administrative actions. The authorities authorities ordered a reappraisal and cancellation of a bulk h2o authorisation antecedently granted successful 2020 to the spot headed by Kharat, portion of efforts to scrutinise however authorities benefits were extended to entities associated with the accused. In parallel, civic activists person petitioned the authorities to analyse questionable onshore transactions allegedly involving Kharat’s associates — including a premier Pune crippled reportedly acquired nether suspicious circumstances without foundation committee support — perchance implicating broader organization lapses.

More women travel forward

The ramifications of the Ashok Kharat lawsuit person echoed beyond Nashik. In adjacent Palghar district, constabulary booked different self‑styled godman for rape aft the complainant recovered the courageousness to allege maltreatment pursuing the high‑profile Kharat arrests, suggesting the Nashik lawsuit whitethorn person empowered different victims to travel forward