From 'Radhe Maa' to 'Sarathi Baba,' some Godmen and women in trouble

From 'Radhe Maa' to 'Sarathi Baba,' some Godmen and women in trouble
From 'Radhe Maa' to 'Sarathi Baba,' some Godmen and women in trouble
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 You could love them, or hate them, but you cant ignore them. Godmen and godwomen have always been popular in India; most people are either followers or skeptics, but nonetheless everyone wants to know what they are up to. A Mumbai-based godwoman, has now got both camps talking.  It all started after photos of Mumbai-based spiritual leader Sukhvinder Kaur, called 'Radhe Maa' by her devotees, were circulated on the internet. However, instead of being dressed in her usual glittering red saree and jewels, she was seen sporting a red skirt with a cap and boots. As a reaction to this, social media went bersek. Who is #RadheMaa We try to decode the individual behind the veil of a god-woman #ITVideo https://t.co/vqq7BvD2UH — India Today (@IndiaToday) August 6, 2015Kaur has recently been booked under provisions of the Indian Penal Code and Dowry Prohibition Act after a Mumbai woman complained to police last month that she was being harassed for dowry by her in-laws and Kaur. According to a report in Hindustan Times, another Mumbai-based lawyer had earlier complained to police that Kaur’s 'satsangs', or sacred gatherings, were “obscene” and added that the guru was conning people in the name of religion. However, Kaur refused to acknowledge these allegations.  Radhe Maa breaks her silence on alleged FIR against her over the dowry demand case, says she is ' pure & pious' https://t.co/TQsiL82H8D — TIMES NOW (@TimesNow) August 9, 2015In another case, the Crime Branch of Odisha police on Saturday arrested Godman Santosh Raul, famously known as 'Sarathi Baba' from his Ashram in Odisha after five days of high drama. This arrest took close to a week after a few television channels showed the self styled Godman staying at a Hyderabad hotel with a young woman who posed as his wife. According to reports, Santosh Raul disappeared in 1985 and re-emerged in 1992 a 'Sarathi Baba,' following which he set up a small ashram and started conducting sermons every Sunday. These sermons soon upgraded themselves to 'miracles' and then into a business empire selling clothes, CDs, talismans and other religious and spiritual merchandise. Thousands of people had gathered around his Ashram in protest, once the news of the pictures was telecast. The police also seized Rs 2 lakh in cash besides large quantities of gold and silver. According to a Deccan Chronicle report, the 48-year-old Godman who has a following of millions across Odisha, was charged with Sections 120-B (criminal conspiracy), 420 (cheating), 468 (forgery with the purpose of cheating), 471 (using as genuine forged document), 341 (wrongful confinement) 506 (criminal intimidation), 379 (theft) of the IPC and SC and ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act (offences of atrocities against the members of the SC and ST. The 'baba' however, has denied all allegations put on him and claimed that he had no relationship with any woman.    

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