Godman Falahari Maharaj arrested on charge of rape

Jaipur police on Saturday arrested a 70-year-old self-styled godman, accused of raping a law student, from a private hospital in Alwar in Rajasthan.

Police said Swami Kaushlendra Prapannachari Falahari Maharaj had got admitted to the hospital after the 21-year-old woman from Chhattisgarh's Bilaspur district filed a rape complaint against him earlier this month.

Aravali police station SHO Hemraj Meena said Falahari Maharaj has been sent to the Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital in Alwar for medical examination.

According to hospital sources, a three-member medical board has been set up for the self-styled godman.

He was later sent to 15-day judicial custody by Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate Court.

The incident had allegedly taken place at Madhusudan ashram of the godman in Alwar on August 7 this year, Bilaspur Additional Superintendent of Police Archana Jha had said.

As per the September 11 complaint, the parents of the woman, who is studying law in Jaipur, are followers of Falahari Maharaj for the past several years.

On his recommendation, she did an internship under a senior lawyer in New Delhi for which she received a stipend of Rs 3,000. Her parents asked her to donate the stipend amount to the ashram in Alwar, the ASP said.

Following her parents' advice, she went to the ashram on Raksha Bandhan last month.

Citing occurrence of grahan (eclipse) that day, the self-proclaimed religious guru advised her to stay in the ashram which she agreed to, Jha said.

During the night, he called the woman in his room and allegedly sexually assaulted her, the ASP said, quoting from the complaint.

The self-styled godman asked her not to tell anyone about the incident and threatened to harm her if she did so, she said.

When the survivor came home here this month, she narrated the ordeal to her parents following which a rape complaint was lodged with the women cell, Jha added.

A case was registered against the accused under Indian Penal Code Sections 376 (rape) and 506 (criminal intimidation), the police officer said.

Photograph: ANI