Ashok Kharat case: Oshnology and other deceptions of a godman

It is 11 a.m. One room in the Nashik District Sessions Court is abuzz with the kind of activity only a politically-sensitive case brings. There is police bandobast, barricades across the entrance, cameras and booms from TV channels primed. The godman Ashokkumar Kharat is brought out, a black cloth on his head. The proceedings are swift. He is granted judicial custody.

The next day, in courtroom number 2, he is produced via videoconferencing. His hands clasped in front of his white shirt, his handlebar moustache neat. The prosecution, led by Shailendra Bagade and Kiran Bendbhar, calls him a “sexual pervert”, stating he has raped and then forced a survivor into getting an abortion. “We pray for maximum police custody,” the prosecution asks.