By Paras Ramoutar, IANS
Port-of-Spain : A local court has dismissed rape charges against an 85-year-old Indian Hindu religious leader after police said that there was no evidence supporting the case, bringing relief to hundreds of his followers in Trinidad.
Jagadguru Shree Kripaluji Maharaj, who is from Uttar Pradesh, was charged in May with the rape of a 22-year-old Guyanese woman at his centre in Phillipne, south Trinidad. In her police complaint the woman said she had gone to seek spiritual assistance and guidance from the swami when she was raped.
The Trinidad and Tobago Court dismissed the charges against the swami after police said the case was false. He is now free to continue his work here as a Hindu missionary and religious leader.
Hindu leaders and supporters of the Radha Mata Society here, which has been hosting him, are very relieved.
The swami was defended by one of Trinidad's top lawyers, Prakash Ramadhar, who said he was happy that the matter had come to a successful ending, as his client was not guilty.
The swami was put on US $8,000 bail and had to surrender his Indian passport to the Trinidad and Tobago Police. He subsequently made several appearances in court, and was finally given approval to leave Trinidad and had his passport returned to him.
He had to answer two charges of sexual assault.
The swami responded to the sexual assault charges by saying, "Not True". He spoke through an interpreter since he cannot speak in English. He was dressed in a saffron robe and sat along with other people charged with serious crimes.
Ramadhar told the court that his client was an ill man.
"This is scandalous. This is a jagadguru (world teacher) and one of 85 in the history of India. He has been a sage all his life. He has a great following in Trinidad and travels all over the world.
"To say he is a flight risk is really embarrassing for him," Ramadhar told the hushed court which had scores of his devotees in attendance.
Earlier, the Court Prosecutor objected to bail saying that he was a "flight risk".
Ramadhar told the court that Swami Maharaj was married and a father of five children, all of whom were over 50 years old.
In recent years, there has been an avalanche of Hindu missionaries coming from India and setting up local chapters of their Indian-based organisation.