Maulana Kalim Siddiqui and Others Sentenced in Illegal Religious Conversion Case in Lucknow
A special court in Lucknow has sentenced 12 people, including Maulana Kalim Siddiqui, to life imprisonment for their involvement in an illegal religious conversion syndicate. Four other individuals, Rahul Bola, Mannu Yadav, Kunal Ashok Chaudhary, and Salim, were sentenced to 10 years in prison and fined according to the relevant sections imposed on them.
Special Judge Vivekanand Sharan Tripathi delivered the sentences to 16 convicts. Maulana Kalim Siddiqui was arrested in September 2021 for running a nationwide illegal religious conversion racket. 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, and Abdullah Umar.
They were convicted under Section 121 A, Section 123, Section 153 A, and other relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code, as well as the UP Prohibition of Unlawful Conversion of Religion Act, 2021. Out of 17 accused, 16 have been convicted, while Maulana Idris Qureshi, who was recently arrested, has received a stay from the Allahabad High Court.
In 2021, the Uttar Pradesh ATS arrested Maulana Kalim Siddiqui from Meerut for allegedly leading a nationwide syndicate for massive religious conversion. Siddiqui, an Islamic scholar and president of an Islamic Trust, was accused of running a mass religious conversion racket through several organizations and schools he funded, receiving international funding, and promoting enmity between different religious groups, thereby disturbing India’s sovereignty and integrity.
Doubts Revealed
Maulana Kalim Siddiqui -: Maulana Kalim Siddiqui is a religious leader who was involved in an illegal activity related to converting people from one religion to another without following the law.
Illegal Religious Conversion -: This means changing someone’s religion without their full consent or by using unfair methods, which is against the law.
Lucknow -: Lucknow is a big city in the state of Uttar Pradesh, India. It is known for its rich history and culture.
Special Court -: A special court is a type of court that deals with specific types of cases, like this one about illegal religious conversions.
Life Imprisonment -: Life imprisonment means that the person has to stay in jail for the rest of their life.
Syndicate -: A syndicate is a group of people who work together, often secretly, to do something illegal.
Indian Penal Code -: The Indian Penal Code is a set of laws in India that defines various crimes and their punishments.
UP Prohibition of Unlawful Conversion of Religion Act, 2021 -: This is a law in Uttar Pradesh that makes it illegal to change someone’s religion using force, fraud, or other unfair methods.
Promoting Enmity -: Promoting enmity means creating hatred or hostility between different groups of people, like different religious groups.
Nationwide Conversion Racket -: This means a large, organized effort across the whole country to change people’s religions illegally.
