The Delhi High Court on Monday directed the Central Bureau of Investigation to proceed with its inquiry into the rape allegations against religious leader Daati Maharaj, PTI reported. He is accused of raping and having unnatural sex with an inmate at his ashram.
A bench of Chief Justice Rajendra Menon and Justice VK Rao had earlier asked the CBI to submit its inquiry report to the High Court. On Monday however, the bench clarified that the report should be filed before the trial court that is hearing the matter. “We deem it appropriate to direct the CBI to proceed with the inquiry and file the report before the magistrate who shall proceed in accordance with the law,” the court said.
A 25-year-old woman has accused Daati Maharaj of raping her at his ashrams in Delhi and Rajasthan, and had filed a complaint at the Fatehpur Beri police station in the Capital against him, his three brothers and a woman. She moved the Delhi High Court in July seeking a CBI investigation.
The High Court on Monday disposed of her petition and directed the parties as well as the CBI counsel to appear before the magistrate on November 26.
On October 3, the High Court had transferred the case to the CBI from the Delhi Police Crime Branch. It had observed that the police’s handling of the case “cast a shadow on the investigation”. The Crime Branch had filed a chargesheet against the accused on October 1, nearly three months after the first information report against him was registered on June 11. In July, the Delhi High Court had asked the police why Daati Maharaj had not been arrested even a month after the complaint was registered.
The Delhi Police had claimed their investigation was not partisan as the victim alleged and informed the court that Daati Maharaj had been interrogated eight times.
After the case was transferred to the CBI, it had booked Daati Maharaj for allegedly raping and having unnatural sex with the woman.
The preacher had filed a petition seeking review of the transfer of the case to the CBI, but the High Court dismissed it on November 14. The review plea was initially filed in the Supreme Court, which asked the religious leader to approach the High Court instead. Daati Maharaj has denied all the allegations and claimed that he was being falsely accused of the crimes.
