Retired Merchant Navy officer held for raping woman in Nashik
Nashik, Mar 18 (PTI): A retired Merchant Navy officer was arrested in Nashik on Wednesday for allegedly raping a woman for over three years, police said.
Accused Ashokkumar Kharat, a self-proclaimed astrologer, had several leaders from Maharashtra politics visit him over the years.
Altogether 58 videos, including some objectionable clips, stored in a pendrive have been recovered from Kharat, who used to call himself “Captain”, police said.
Kharat, who is also the chairman of Shree Ishaneshwar Mahadev Temple Trust at Mirgaon in Sinnar taluka of Nashik district, allegedly sexually assaulted the 35-year-old complainant between November 2022 and December 2025.
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Citing the FIR, police said Kharat used to call the woman to his office located in the upscale Canada Corner area in Nashik, claiming his predictions pointed to “threats” to her husband’s life. He would allegedly offer her sedative-laced drinks and rape her.
Kharat has been booked under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita sections concerning rape and criminal intimidation, and the Maharashtra Prevention and Eradication of Human Sacrifice and other Inhuman, Evil and Aghori Practices and Black Magic Act, said officials.
Many politicians and well-known individuals had visited the astrologer in the past.
The then Maharashtra chief minister Eknath Shinde, accompanied by his cabinet colleagues Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil and Deepak Kesarkar, had met Kharat at the Mirgaon temple in November 2022.
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Rupali Chakankar, current chairperson of the Maharashtra State Commission for Women, had also visited him.
Though 58 video clips stored in a pendrive have been recovered from Kharat, a few are objectionable, said police. Many of the other videos in the pendrive feature Kharat’s interactions with politicians and prominent personalities, they said.
Police said an investigation is underway.
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CM Siddaramaiah alleges ‘criminal conspiracy’ in Sringeri recount, vows legal action
Bengaluru (PTI): Alleging a “criminal conspiracy” by BJP candidate D N Jeevaraj in the Sringeri Assembly poll recounting, Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah on Tuesday said the outcome was manipulated after valid postal ballot votes in favour of Congress leader T D Raje Gowda were tampered with during the recounting process.
Following a Karnataka High Court order on an election petition filed by Jeevaraj, challenging Raje Gowda’s election, the reverification and recounting were conducted on Saturday.
After the reverification and recount of postal ballots for the Sringeri Assembly constituency, votes polled in favour of Raje Gowda were reduced by 255, the returning officer said.
A report on the matter has been submitted to the Election Commission of India for further action, the officer added.
Congress leader Raje Gowda had won the 2023 Assembly polls from Sringeri by 201 votes, defeating his nearest rival Jeevaraj.
Addressing a press conference in Bengaluru, Siddaramaiah said the High Court had directed the recounting of postal ballots and that irregularities were noticed during the exercise conducted on May 2.
“This is a clear case of criminal conspiracy,” Siddaramaiah said, alleging that valid votes cast in favour of Raje Gowda were altered after being accepted by counting agents of all parties, including Congress, BJP, and JD(S).
He claimed that during the recounting of postal ballots, 255 votes were initially accepted as valid by all agents but were later tampered with by subordinate officials.
“There is a second mark on the votes polled in favour of Raje Gowda. They had accepted these as valid votes. Subsequently, another mark was made by officials. This is a clear case of criminal conspiracy,” he said.
When asked who was behind the alleged conspiracy, the CM replied, “It was hatched by Jeevaraj and others. It is planned.”
Siddaramaiah further alleged that the returning officer acted improperly by declaring the result despite the presence of an Election Commission observer during the recounting.
“Immediately after the counting, the returning officer announced the result. He should not have done so; this is against the law,” he said.
He pointed out that Raje Gowda had originally won by 201 votes, but after the recounting, the BJP candidate was declared the winner by 52 votes.
“The BJP has committed a criminal act of conspiracy. This is not vote chori but vote dacoity,” he alleged.
The CM said a police complaint had already been filed by Raje Gowda’s election agent, Sudhir Kumar, and emphasised the need for electoral integrity.
“We want transparency and free and fair elections. That is what our Constitution mandates,” he added.
Stating that the government would pursue legal remedies, Siddaramaiah said, “We are preparing an appeal challenging the returning officer’s announcement in a court of law.”
Responding to a separate query on elections in other states, the CM said there appeared to be an anti-incumbency factor in West Bengal, while results in Tamil Nadu were “surprising,” adding that Vijay’s party was emerging as the largest there.
Following the victory of party candidates in Bagalkote and Davanagere South, Siddaramaiah expressed confidence about future electoral prospects in Karnataka.
“Even in 2028, we will win the Assembly elections. We will come back,” the CM said.
Siddaramaiah added that he would order a forensic examination into the alleged tampering of postal ballots.
