Maharashtra Govt Sanctioned ₹1 Crore To Temple Linked To Arrested Godman Ashok Kharat In 2018

Mumbai: A temple in Nashik district associated with self-styled godman Ashok Kharat, currently under arrest in a rape case, received over Rs 1 crore from the Maharashtra government in 2018 for development works, official records show.

The sanction was issued on March 31, 2018 under the regional tourism development scheme by the tourism and cultural affairs department, then headed by BJP leader Jaykumar Rawal. An amount of Rs 1.05 crore was approved for the Shri Ishanyeshwar Devasthan temple in Sinnar for facilities such as a hall, toilets, parking, accommodation, garden and electrification. Of this, Rs 25 lakh was released in the 2017-18 fiscal.

Kharat was arrested on March 18 following allegations of repeated sexual assault by a 35-year-old woman. He is in police custody and has headed the temple trust.

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Officials said fund allocation to religious sites is a routine process and no allegations existed against Kharat at the time. The work was executed through the PWD. The sanction was part of a Rs 112 crore package for 58 sites across Maharashtra.

An SIT led by Tejaswi Satpute is probing six cases against Kharat, with investigators also examining alleged assets worth Rs 1,500 crore and digital evidence.

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