The NIA/ATS special court in Lucknow on Wednesday sentenced 12 accused, including Maulana Kalim Siddiqui, to life imprisonment in a high-profile illegal religious conversion case.
Additional Sentences and Fines
The court also sentenced four other accused Rahul Bola, Mannu Yadav, Kunal Ashok Chaudhary, and Salim to 10 years of imprisonment each, along with fines as per the relevant sections imposed on them. Special Judge Vivekanand Sharan Tripathi pronounced the sentences for the 16 convicted individuals.
Details of the Convicts
Maulana Kalim Siddiqui was arrested in September 2021 for allegedly running a nationwide syndicate involved in illegal religious conversions. Alongside Siddiqui, other convicts include:
- Prakash Rameshwar Kavde
- Faraz Babullah Shah
- Mufti Qazi Jahangir Alam Qazmi
- Mohd. Salim
- Kunal Ashok Chaudhary
- Dheeraj Govind Rao Jagtap
- Sarfaraz Ali Jafri
- Kaushar Alam
- Bhupriya Bandho
- Irfan Sheikh alias Irfan Khan
- Rahul Bhola alias Rahul Ahmed
- Mannu Yadav Abdul Mannan
- Salahuddin Zainuddin Sheikh
- Abdullah Umar
Legal Charges and Convictions
The accused were convicted under various sections of the Indian Penal Code, including Section 121A, Section 123, Section 153A, and other relevant sections of the UP Prohibition of Unlawful Conversion of Religion Act, 2021. A total of 17 individuals were charged, with 16 convicted. Maulana Idris Qureshi, the 17th accused, is currently under a stay order from the Allahabad High Court.
Background of the Case
In 2021, Uttar Pradesh ATS arrested Maulana Kaleem Siddiqui from Meerut, accusing him of operating a massive religious conversion racket through multiple organizations and schools he funded. Siddiqui, an Islamic scholar and president of an Islamic Trust, was also charged with promoting religious enmity and undermining India’s sovereignty and integrity.
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