Maharashtra chief minister Devendra Fadnavis' wife Amruta has come in for flak from rationalists after accepting a necklace, apparently produced from thin air by a godman. The incident occurred during an awards event organised by a Pune-based educational institute.

In visuals aired non-stop by Marathi channels, the godman, Guruvanand Swami, is shown giving Amruta, a banker, a necklace, which apparently materialises from thin air. Avinash Patil, president of the Committee for Eradication of Superstition in Maharashtra, said the chief minister should clarify his stand on the act of his wife.

"Fadnavis should issue a clarification on the incident. If needed, he should tender an apology," Patil said. "We are willing to offer a Rs 21 lakh prize to the godman if he is able to perform his 'miracle' in controlled conditions as specified by us scientifically," he said. Amruta today said she does not believe in miracles.

"I offered my salutations to him as respect to an elderly person. These are values I have been brought up with and these are the values I will continue to practice," she said. "Guruvanand Swami gave me a necklace as a blessing. I don't believe in miracles of any sort," she said.