Coventry ‘Living God’ stands trial for sexually abusing followers as young as 4

A religious leader who claimed to be a ‘living god’ has been accused of exploiting and sexually abusing followers who say he is really the ‘devil in disguise’.

Rajinder Kalia, who is head priest at a temple in Coventry, has been accused of grooming his temple members to believe he was “God incarnate” while abusing young girls.

Four women alleged that they were sexually abused by him, and another three alleged that they were financially exploited.

One alleged victim claims she was sexually abused more than 1,320 times over two decades, and another said she was abused as a child, causing her to fail school exams.

A third said her virginity was taken in a rape in a Birmingham hotel, and a fourth claims she was hugged and kissed inappropriately when she was just four, before having her virginity taken as a young adult .

Three other complainants allege they were subjected to financial abuse costing them hundreds of thousands of pounds while in the community.

Mr Kalia, 68, denied he was a “fake guru” and said the allegations were part of a financial conspiracy.

He told his followers he could perform miracles, including setting water on fire and squeezing blood from a lemon, the High Court heard.

He is the head of the Sidh Baba Balak Nath Ji Society in Coventry, which professes the founding principles of the Hindu faith.

One of his accusers told the court he believed him to be the devil who controlled his followers like “puppets on a string”.

She said, “He is not an incarnation of God, he is the devil.”

Mr Kalia began preaching in 1983 after moving from India to Britain and claims to have experienced miracles as a teenager.

This includes being told he will never walk again after a motorcycle accident, but finding himself back on his feet after a visit to Himachal Pradesh, the center of worship of Baba Balak Nath.

Barrister Sarah Crowther KC said: “He believes this was a miracle and increased his faith, particularly in the deity Baba Balak Nath.”

One of the women said she was controlled by Mr Kalia as a child even when she was outside the UK.

She said: “The devil told me, Kalia, that I must not have any relationship.

“When I was in India, I felt him watching my every move. I was paranoid, I was scared.’

Speaking of the temple members who testified on his behalf, she said: “They are puppets on his string, but my string has been cut.

“They will do whatever he says, but he is not God. He is not an incarnation of God, he is the devil.’

Solicitor Mark Jones said Kalia’s alleged victims were “entirely swayed by the defendant’s charismatic and forceful personality”.

He said the women who claim they were sexually abused by Mr Kalia were unable to give consent because of the influence he had over them and because they were minors.

For Mr Kalia, Ms Crowther denied any wrongdoing and suggested the complainants had come together to make a “fundamentally dishonest” attempt to get money out of him.

“The applicants, like all temple attendees, have always lived their own lives in the wider community and have freely chosen to attend the temple and participate in the activities of its faith community,” she said.

“They participated willingly, for their own spiritual and personal benefit. They were free to come and go at any time as they chose.

“The allegations, including those of assault, are untrue, fundamentally dishonest and the product of a conspiracy between the plaintiffs to try to extort the defendant.

“He did not harass the plaintiffs, but they harassed other members of the community and sought to spread falsehoods about the defendant and recruit others to their conspiracy with the promise of financial reward.”

She pointed out that the women’s complaints came simultaneously many years after the alleged events and that there were “substantial discrepancies” between their court cases and their complaints to the police.

“It appears likely that the content of the false allegations was inspired by a mixture of past experiences of some of the group members and previous allegations they had made of sexual misconduct unrelated to the defendant, as well as media reports -media and/or internet about “fake gurus”.’

The process continues.

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