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The legal action follows years of escalating marital discord that eventually led the complainant, Girija Raut, to leave her matrimonial home in late 2023
Vinayak Raut has strongly denied the allegations, framing the entire case as a calculated, politically motivated defamation campaign. File pic/PTI
An official criminal case has been registered at the Kapurbawdi Police Station in Thane against Shiv Sena (UBT) leader and former MP Vinayak Raut. The First Information Report (FIR), filed on June 10, details a deeply troubling eight-year saga of alleged domestic abuse, financial deceit, and forced occult practices.
The case names nine individuals, including the complainant Girija Raut’s husband Gitesh Raut, a Shiv Sena (UBT) corporator, and her father-in-law Vinayak Raut, a former Member of Parliament. This legal action follows years of escalating marital discord that eventually led the complainant, Girija Raut, to leave her matrimonial home in late 2023.
The accused now face serious charges under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) alongside specific violations of the Maharashtra Prevention and Eradication of Human Sacrifice and other Inhuman, Evil and Aghori Practices and Black Magic Act, 2013.
Girija Raut, the complainant, claims her marriage was built on a foundation of deception and severe mistreatment, stating that she was entrapped through lies from the very first day and that the inhumane behaviour of her husband and his family ruined her life. She alleges that all nine accused played an equal role in her mistreatment and is pleading for the court and police to ensure they receive appropriate punishment.
Her allegations detail forced occult practices involving degrading acts, alongside severe medical trauma where she was allegedly forced into unnecessary treatments ranging from antidepressants to menstrual regulation medications despite her husband claiming to be perfectly healthy. Furthermore, she fiercely denied accusations that her family demanded money, countering with a striking detail that her husband routinely forced her to count massive amounts of cash by hand, including roughly Rs 18 lakh on a single occasion while she was deeply unwell, despite having a cash-counting machine at home.
Amid the allegations, the complainant’s mother, Pooja Pawar, says her daughter was subjected to suffering, and no woman should go through this.
“When we came to understand what was happening, we told them that all of this was wrong and that they should seek proper medical treatment, after which some progress might be possible. However, Gitesh Raut himself was not willing. He used to say, ‘I am fine, nothing is wrong with me.’ Because of this, they subjected my daughter to many medicines and and took her to these babas, causing her a great deal of suffering. We want justice for this. These people should be punished, and our daughter should receive justice. Nothing like this should happen to any other girl,” said Pawar.
In response, Vinayak Raut has strongly denied the allegations, framing the entire case as a calculated, politically motivated defamation campaign. He questioned why she did not complain earlier if the abuse was ongoing and claimed that when she left for her maternal home on December 31, 2023, she took 10 to 13 bags of her “Stree-dhan” with her. According to Raut, her financial demands escalated continuously, rising from Rs 2 crore to Rs 5 crore and eventually reaching a staggering total of Rs 12.5 crore. Expressing complete faith in the police and the judiciary, he stated that the entire truth will surface once an official investigation is concluded.
Simultaneously, the political fallout has intensified in Maharashtra. Shiv Sena leader Nilesh Rane has said he had heard previously that Vinayak Raut used to engage in such activities.
“Because of Vinayak Raut, the name of Sindhudurg has been tarnished. He keeps engaging in such activities. We had heard about these things earlier, but now his own family members have brought forward all the evidence. No one else needs to do anything. He can no longer point fingers at others. His own family members have made these allegations against him. These are very serious allegations, made by a woman, and they are allegations that will create serious concerns,” added Rane.
Firoz Shaikh, a self-styled godman from Sindhudurg and one of the accused, was arrested and remanded in police custody till July 14. Vinayak Raut and family have applied for anticipatory bail, and the plea will be heard on July 23.
Vinayak Raut’s state-provided police security has been officially withdrawn. Protection Branch-1 issued a formal letter confirming the removal, following an official communication regarding the proposed security strip that was initiated on May 30. Although Raut had written to the authorities requesting a continuation of his cover, Protection Branch-1 ultimately rejected his request and declined to restore it.
Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Vinayak Raut and his son Gitesh Raut have been booked under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and the Maharashtra Prevention and Eradication of Human Sacrifice and other Inhuman, Evil and Aghori Practices and Black Magic Act, 2013.
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