Narain Says Charges Trumped (Press, 29 January 1986)

On 29 January 1986, Armit Lal Narain, a 50-year-old New Zealand-born Indian faith healer and leader of a religious commune, faced serious legal troubles in Sydney. He was wanted for unlawful detention, assault, and kidnapping, charges which he claimed were fabricated by a former commune member, Nell Grace Arnitt, after he evicted her from the community. The allegations stemmed from incidents that reportedly occurred in New Zealand in 1983 and 1985. Narain was apprehended under a provisional warrant from the New Zealand police on a Saturday prior to the court appearance, with the Waverley Local Court in Sydney hearing the case shortly thereafter. During the proceedings, it was alleged that Narain had abused Arnitt by threatening her with a hot poker, physically assaulting her, and confining her in a pit. Furthermore, he was accused of neglecting her medical needs, particularly during her struggles with epilepsy, and subjecting her to harsh treatment, including forcing her into a pool while she was having a seizure. The prosecution indicated that Narain may have fled New Zealand in December 1984 to evade these charges and asserted that he could influence witnesses given his previous control over commune members. Prosecutors recounted multiple additional charges awaiting Narain in New Zealand, including counts of illegal detention, assault, cruelty to children, indecent assault, and more. These claims were supported by testimonies from former members of the commune, as well as independent witnesses. In his defence, Narain's lawyer, Roth Wall, portrayed the charges as unfounded, stemming from personal vendettas related to Arnitt's alleged lesbian relationship with another commune member—a relationship that reportedly led to her eviction. Wall asserted that some family members of the women involved were willing to testify in support of Narain, arguing that the accusations were part of a long-standing political and media campaign against him since he had previously exposed corruption involving a high-ranking official from the Maori Affairs Department. Narain was granted bail set at AS$20,000 ($27,000) by Magistrate Mr Henderson, with the condition that he report daily to the police and surrender his passport. He was ordered to return to court on 4 February 1986 when a decision on his extradition to New Zealand would be made. Despite the turmoil surrounding him, Narain expressed a willingness to return to New Zealand when required, insisting that he did not wish to leave Australia until then due to reported death threats against him. He maintained that he was the target of a sustained campaign of discrimination and violence because of his influence among his followers, many of whom were Māori.

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