MUMBAI, MAR 21: The arrest of Nashik‑based self‑styled astrologer and numerologist Ashok Kharat in a multi‑victim sexual‑assault case has triggered a major political controversy in Maharashtra, with the Opposition targeting the ruling alliance and even questioning the role of State Women’s Commission chief Rupali Chakankar. Dubbed the “Maharashtra Epstein Files” in media and social‑network chatter, the case centres on allegations that Kharat, a 67‑year‑old former Merchant Navy officer who styled himself “Captain”, sexually exploited dozens of women over several years under the cover of spiritual rituals and occult practices.
Police say Kharat routinely summoned women to his office in Nashik’s upscale Canada Corner on the pretext of solving their “personal problems” and then administered intoxicants, recorded them, and sexually assaulted them while threatening harm to their husbands and families. A special investigation team (SIT) led by IPS officer Tejaswini Satpute has been formed, and investigators have recovered a pen drive reportedly containing 58 video clips of obscene acts involving different women, raising fears of a wider predator‑network.
The case has acquired a sharp political edge because Kharat’s Nashik office and luxury temple‑cum‑farmhouse are said to have hosted several senior politicians and public figures across party lines. The Opposition has accused the ruling Mahayuti alliance of shielding or ignoring his activities, while Shiv Sena (UBT) and other critics have demanded that Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and the state government take action, including a probe into the conduct of the Women’s Commission chairperson Rupali Chakankar, after a video surfaced showing a woman’s family confronting her in relation to the case.
