Padma awardee Kartik Maharaj accused of raping woman approaches Calcutta HC for scrapping FIR against him

Kolkata: Padma Shree awardee monk Kartik Maharaj, attached to the Murshidabad unit of the Bharat Sevashram Sangha, who had been accused by a woman recently of allegedly raping her for six months in 2013 and forcing her to abort her baby, on Tuesday, approached a single-judge Bench of the Calcutta High Court seeking cancellation of the FIR registered against him in the matter.

The single-judge Bench of Justice Jay Sengupta has admitted the petition. The matter is expected to come up for hearing on Wednesday.

Kartik Maharaj was supposed to be present at Nabagram Police Station under Murshidabad District Police on Tuesday morning.

On Monday, the Nabagram Police Station served a notice at the Murshidabad unit of Bharat Sevashram Sangha directing Kartik Maharaj to be present at the police station on Tuesday morning for interrogation in the matter.

However, Kartik Maharaj was not present there at that moment. So the notice was handed over to a representative of the Ashram.

On Tuesday, his counsel approached Justice Sengupta’s Bench with the plea for cancellation of the FIR before the deadline for him to appear at the police station expired.

In the petition, it has been claimed that the cops registered the FIR in the matter without conducting a Preliminary Investigation based on a complaint made by a woman on an alleged event that took place 13 years ago.

Kartik Maharaj, who had since the beginning denied the allegations, claimed that the police actions were merely intended to harass him.

Already a political slugfest has surfaced in the state over the complaints against Kartik Maharaj.

The ruling Trinamool Congress is highlighting the issue and accusing the BJP of being silent on this rape case since the accused monk had been reportedly close to the saffron camp.

On the other hand, the state unit of the BJP in West Bengal had questioned the timing of the complaint.

According to state BJP leaders, the complaint had been lodged 13 years after the alleged incident of multiple rapes took place and that, too, at a time when the state administration and the ruling Trinamool Congress are cornered over the Kasba law college rape case.

In her complaint with Nabagram police last week, the woman alleged that Kartik Maharaj had promised her a job at Chanak Adivasi Abasik Balika Vidyalaya, one of the ashram’s schools, when the duo met in December 2012.

The survivor said she was also accommodated at the school hostel in January 2013, with an assurance that she would soon be hired.

The woman accusing Kartik Maharaj of raping her at least 12 times between January and June of 2013, had also claimed that the accused monk forced her to abort her baby and threatened to commit suicide if she approached the police or informed anyone of what happened to her.

Kartik Maharaj had denied all the allegations against him.
IANS