Radhe Maa denied anticipatory bail

Mumbai: Radhe Maa, who calls herself a godwoman, has been denied anticipatory bail by a court in Mumbai.

She has been summoned for questioning on Friday on a dowry harassment complaint by a woman who has alleged "mental and physical torture" by her husband's family at the instance of Radhe Maa.

The 50-year-old self-professed guru has also been accused of cheating, obscenity and hurting religious sentiment in other complaints.

On Wednesday, the police said the chances of Radhe Maa being arrested are slim, despite the controversies linked to her. "No concrete evidence has been found against Radhe Maa in the dowry harassment case till now," police sources said.

Earlier this week, lawyer Falguni Brahmbhatt petitioned the Bombay High Court asking for an FIR or police complaint against Radhe Maa. The lawyer says the police have not taken action against Radhe Maa despite her repeated complaints.

Another complaint to the police accuses the "godwoman" of driving a poor family of seven in Gujarat to suicide after failing to keep her promises to vastly improve their lot. The police are yet to verify the complaint, which alleges that four members of the family in Kutch committed suicide and killed their three children on March 23, last year, after spending crores on Radhe Maa and getting nothing in return. The police say they are looking into the complaint. Radhe Maa, who was Sukhwinder Kaur before giving herself a "spiritual" makeover, is always seen wearing garish red and holding a trident. She generated a huge buzz on social media after pictures of her in a mini-skirt went viral.