States » EastPosted at: Jul 1 2025 6:54PM


Kartik Maharaj moves Calcutta High Court to quash rape FIR

Kolkata, July 1 (UNI) Padma Shri awardee and monk Kartik Maharaj today filed a petition in the Calcutta High Court seeking the cancellation of an FIR lodged against him in a rape case.
The petition was submitted before Justice Joy Sengupta, who has scheduled a hearing for tomorrow.
The religious leader, associated with the Bharat Sevashram Sangha in Beldanga, approached the court after being summoned by Nabagram Police to appear for questioning. The summons relates to a complaint filed by a woman who accused Kartik Maharaj of repeatedly raping her under the pretext of helping her secure employment over a decade ago.
According to the FIR, the woman claims that in 2013, Kartik Maharaj arranged a teaching job for her at a school in Nabagram and provided her accommodation on the school’s fifth floor. She alleges that he sexually assaulted her on several occasions there and later summoned her to the Beldanga Ashram, where she was allegedly assaulted over five consecutive days.
The complaint further states that when she became pregnant, she was coerced into undergoing an abortion.
Police officers from both Nabagram and Beldanga police stations attempted to serve the summons at the ashram yesterday, but Kartik Maharaj was reportedly not present. The notice was handed over to one of his representatives.
The case has sparked a political controversy, with the Trinamool Congress (TMC) accusing the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of shielding the accused. The TMC shared a video of the complainant on social media platform X (formerly Twitter), in which she asserts that she was not pressured into filing the complaint.
In the post, the TMC alleged: “In an attempt to shield their rapist ally Kartik Maharaj, BJP is trying to give the matter a political colour. This is a party that enables rapists, sympathises with predators, and abandons survivors. The victim has clearly stated that her complaint is not politically motivated. Instead of acknowledging her decade-long trauma, BJP is attempting to silence her.
"Has NCW (National Commission for Women) taken note? If not, why? Do survivors cease to matter when the accused is linked to BJP?” the party asked. UNI XC SSP
Tags: #Kartik Maharaj moves Calcutta High Court to quash rape FIR
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