4 min readMumbaiMar 20, 2026 07:16 AM IST
First published on: Mar 20, 2026 at 07:16 AM IST
He claims to be a “Captain” in the Australian Merchant Navy, to know a dozen languages, and to be a “cosmology expert” with the abilities to “analyse the past and future of nature, humans, animals, and both living and non-living entities, instantly”. Now Ashok Kumar Kharat is also the man at the heart of the latest Maharashtra political storm.
Kharat was arrested on March 17 by the Nashik police after a woman accused him of sexually assaulting her multiple times between 2022 and 2025 after gaining her trust, by claiming divine powers.
In the wake of the arrest, questions have been raised about the 61-year-old Kharat’s “links”, across parties. Photographs of him with Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde have surfaced, while demands have been made for the ouster of Maharashtra State Commission for Women Chairperson and NCP leader Rupali Chakankar, who is a trustee of the Shri Shivnika Sansthan in Sinnar, Nashik district, headed by Kharat. Videos have emerged of Chakankar washing the feet of Kharat as a mark of respect.
Kharat first shot to prominence in the state when Shinde, who was the CM at the time, visited the Shri Shivnika Temple along with senior leaders Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil and Deepak Kesarkar in November 2022.
When several other political leaders followed suit, seeking Kharat out reportedly to know what the future held for them, at a time when the state was in political flux, the then united NCP criticised it, calling such visits unusual for Maharashtra and likely to encourage superstition.
Rupali Chakankar (holding the umbrella) with Kharat. (Express Photo)
NCP chief Sharad Pawar said Shinde’s move set the wrong example as he was the CM, and wondered whether his visit to Kharat showed he was uncertain about his own position.
Police have booked Kharat under charges of rape as well as provisions of the state’s anti-black magic law. A key element of the probe against him is a pen drive seized allegedly from him, which police say contains at least 58 videos. Officials are probing whether these feature other victims or individuals linked to his network.
Maharashtra Congress president Harshvardhan Sapkal called Kharat “the state’s version of Asaram Bapu”. “What Asaram Bapu and Ram Rahim did is exactly what Ashok Kharat has done. He must be given strict punishment. And considering his activities so far, he must have had some form of political backing. The people of Maharashtra deserve to know who these people are.”
On Chakankar, Sapkal said it was sad that the chairperson of a commission meant to protect women from exploitation had “links” with Kharat. “She should have resigned by now,” he said.
Congress Legislature Party leader Vijay Wadettiwar said Chakankar had “no right” to continue in office. “If a person on that post is washing the feet of a fraud… how can anyone expect justice from her?”
Shiv Sena UBT leader Sushma Andhare said: “Maharashtra has a woman Deputy CM and (Sunetra Pawar). It is up to her to decide whether Chakankar should remain in her post.”
Chakankar has said her association with the Shivnika Sansthan is limited to “social work”. “The Shivnika Sansthan Trust is a Mahadev temple trust where social programmes are occasionally organised; therefore, many of us are associated with the trust’s activities, including many prominent individuals. I have no idea about Captain Kharat’s personal life or the allegations levelled against him. Police will conduct an impartial investigation.”
A now-defunct website of Kharat identifies him as a spiritual advisor and “cosmology expert”, who did BSc in Mathematics before serving seven years in the Indian maritime sector and 15 years in the Australian Merchant Navy. It says he has travelled to 154 countries, and is a practitioner of “Brahmand Shastra” or cosmology.
The website says Kharat set up the Shivnika Trust in 2009, after quitting the Merchant Navy. In 2010, the trust established Shri Ishaneshwar temple in Mirgaon village in Nashik district.
