A man who branded himself as “God on Earth” is facing a lawsuit for £8 million after former temple devotees claimed he raped and swindled them.
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Rajinder Kalia, 68, is accused of exploiting four women and girls as young as four while operating at a temple in Coventry, UK. He allegedly used the obscure branch of Hinduism, Baba Balak Nath, for his own gain and is now being sued by four of his ex-disciples. They claim their former leader exerted “undue influence” by groping and raping them.
The High Court heard that Kalia began his sermons in the UK after surviving a motorbike crash in his youth in India. He “miraculously” managed to walk again following a visit to Himachal Pradesh, an area associated with the Hindu god Baba Balak Nath.
After launching his own temple in 1986, he allegedly indoctrinated his followers to believe he was “an incarnation of God or the divine.” Mark Jones, the lawyer representing the seven claimants, stated, “This is an unusual case where the claimants allege to have been wholly subject to the charismatic and forceful personality of Mr. Kalia over decades. He portrayed himself as an incarnation of God through the purported performance of miracles. The claimants’ ability to freely consent to his demands for financial and sexual benefits was overridden. They were incapable of resisting.”
One woman reportedly wept as she recounted being raped at least 1,320 times over 22 years after joining the church as a single mother. She claimed Kalia told her his “abhorrent” sexual perversions were “akin to relations enjoyed by Hindu deity Krishna.”
Another alleged victim said Kalia began abusing her at 13 before taking her virginity at age 21 in a hotel he made her book. She told the court she was threatened with acid after going to the police and was later wrongly arrested for child abuse.
Another woman claims she was groped from the age of 13 and also had her virginity taken by Kalia, while a fourth alleges she was inappropriately kissed from age four.
Other victims claim they were coerced into sending Kalia money, including one who paid £5,000 to “cure her dog’s cancer.”
Kalia lives in a £1.1 million mansion with his wife and denies all the allegations.
