Padma Shri monk Kartik Maharaj moves Calcutta HC to quash rape FIR

Padma Shri awardee monk Kartik Maharaj, who has been accused by a woman recently of allegedly raping her, has approached the Calcutta HC, seeking cancellation of the FIR registered against him. A single-judge bench of Justice Jay Sengupta has admitted the petition, which is likely to be heard on Wednesday.

Kartik Maharaj was served a notice by the Nabagram police station on Monday and summoned to the police station on Tuesday morning for interrogation in connection with a complaint by a victim, who was allegedly raped by the monk from January and June of 2013. Kartik Maharaj has denied the allegations and claimed that the police actions were made to harass a monk.

Slamming the BJP over the issue, AITC posted on X, "...Today, the women of Nabagram, Murshidabad, took to the streets demanding his arrest for repeatedly raping a helpless woman, blackmailing her, and forcing her to undergo an abortion. BJP will bend backwards to bury the case because shielding sexual predators runs in their blood. But, let it be known: he will not escape. For the trauma he inflicted, Kartik Maharaj will face the full wrath of the law."