Mumbai, Feb 03: The Bombay High Court has, for the fourth time, rejected the bail application of a 38-year-old Nashik-based advocate who was arrested on charges of allegedly extorting money from four women who were repeatedly raped by his brother, a self-proclaimed godman.
Court cites near completion of trial
While rejecting the bail application, the court, presided over by Justice Shiv Kumar Dighe, noted that the trial in the case is almost complete and therefore stated that it was not inclined to grant bail. However, the court granted the accused liberty to file a fresh bail application if the trial is not concluded within three months.
Victims’ lawyers oppose bail
Advocate Prathamesh Gaikwad and Advocate Nilambika Deshmukh, representing the victims, opposed the bail application on the ground that the examination of the prosecution witnesses has already been completed and that the trial is likely to conclude soon.
Earlier bail plea withdrawn
The High Court, in March 2025, had rejected the bail application after false facts were produced on behalf of the accused before the court. Justice N R Borkar had th: en reprimanded the lawyer, which ultimately led to the advocate withdrawing the bail application voluntarily.
Background of the case
The prosecution’s case dates back to February 2022, when a 49-year-old woman and her three daughters were travelling by bus from Nashik to Nagpur. During the journey, a stranger overheard their conversation about the mother’s distress over arranging her eldest daughter’s marriage. The stranger suggested a solution and introduced them to a man named Aziz Baba, whom he claimed was a godman capable of resolving their problems.
Alleged assault and threats
The four women accompanied the stranger to meet Baba, who allegedly offered them holy water. After consuming it, they reportedly fell unconscious. Taking advantage of their condition, Baba allegedly raped all four women and recorded obscene videos of them.
When the victims regained consciousness, they realised they had been assaulted. Baba then allegedly threatened to make the videos viral if they did not comply with his demands. The women were allegedly raped multiple times over a period by the godman, who also allegedly coerced them into converting their religion.
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Extortion allegations
Further, Baba’s brother, Advocate Jabbar Shaikh, allegedly continued to extort money from the victims by threatening to release the videos. He is accused of extorting nearly Rs 8 lakh from them.
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