Man who called himself 'God on Earth' sued for £8million by former disciples who claim he raped and swindled them

A man who branded himself "God on earth" is being sued for £8million after ex-Temple devotees claimed he raped them.

Rajinder Kalia, 68, is accused of preying on four women and girls as young as four while operating at a temple in Coventry, UK.

He allegedly used Baba Balak Nath, an obscure branch of Hinduism, for his own selfish purposes, and is now being sued by four of his ex-disciples, who claim their former leader exerted "undue influence" by groping and raping them.

The High Court was told Kalia began his sermons in the UK after he was involved in a motorbike crash as a 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, it was said.

After launching his own temple in 1986, he allegedly began indoctrinating his followers to believe he is "an incarnation of God and or the divine".

The lawyer, Mark Jones, representing the seven claimants, said: "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 freely to consent to his demands for financial and sexual benefits was overridden. They were incapable of resisting."

A lady reportedly wept as she told the court how she was raped at least 1,320 times over 22 years after joining the church as a single mum.

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 she went 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.

Others claim they were fleeced into sending Kalia money - including one who paid £5,000 to "cure her dog's cancer".

Kalia lives in a £1.1million mansion with his wife. He denies all the allegations.