Odisha Crime Branch Files Chargesheet against Sarathi Baba

Sarathi Baba was arrested by Odisha Crime branch on Aug 7 over financial irregularities from Kendrapada Ashram. Odisha Crime Branch has filed a chargesheet against him.

BHUBANESWAR: Odisha Crime Branch has filed a charge sheet against controversial godman Sarathi Baba alias Santosh Raul, who is in jail since last four months.

The crime branch filed the charge sheet before the court of Kendrapara Sub-Divisional Judicial Magistrate (SDJM) on Monday in connection with a case registered against the self-proclaimed godman Sarathi Baba on August 18.

The controversial godman is facing trial under IPC sections- 354 (outraging the modesty of a woman), 120(B) (conspiracy) and 420 (cheating) after a woman from Haladidiha village near Kendrapara had lodged a complaint against him alleging that Sarathi and his aide Sarat Patra had outraged her modesty.

The self-styled godman had been arrested by the crime branch from his ashram in Barimula, on outskirts of Kendrapara town, on August 7.

Sarathi was arrested under section 420 (cheating), 467 (Forgery), 468 (Using as genuine a forged document or electronic record), 471 Forgery for purpose of cheating), 506 criminal intimidation), 321 (Voluntarily causing hurt) and 120 (b) (criminal conspiracy) of the IPC and 25 of the Arms Act.

The ashram founded by Sarathi Baba (now in jail) in Odisha’s Kendrapara district has been officially evaluated at Rs. 4.48 crore.

Crime branch probing into the matter had also sealed the accounts of Sarathi Baba and his Satyam charitable trust in the State Bank of India, Allahabad Bank, Punjab National Bank and United Bank and Urban Cooperative Bank at Kendrapara.