Mumbai, April 4 Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut claimed on Saturday that the call records of rape accused Ashok Kharat, which showed several calls between him and Eknath Shinde, could not have been accessed without the help of the Maharashtra Chief Minister's Office.
Activist Anjali Damania said on Friday that she received Kharat's call detail records on WhatsApp from an unknown number, and forwarded copies to Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and the police.
According to the CDR, Kharat had 17 phone calls with Deputy Chief Minister Shinde, she claimed.
Speaking to reporters, Raut said Damania is "not an R&AW agent" and could not have obtained such information without someone in the government leaking it.
"She would not have obtained the information until she received it from the CMO. Such sensitive information cannot be shared by anyone personally," claimed the Rajya Sabha member.
"When an outsider leaks sensitive information, it means somebody inside the government is the target," he added.
Kharat, a self-styled godman who has been visited by several prominent politicians, including Shinde, was arrested last month after a woman accused him of repeatedly raping her over three years.