Indian authorities have handed down life imprisonment sentences to a prominent Islamic scholar and eleven other Muslims for converting Hindus to Islam.
A special court of the National Investigation Agency and Anti-Terrorism Squad in Lucknow sentenced Maulana Kaleem Siddiqui, along with eleven others, to life imprisonment on Wednesday.
The case involves allegations of illegal religious conversion activities dating back to 2021.
The verdict was delivered by Judge Vivekanand Sharan Tripathi, who found the accused guilty under multiple sections of the Indian Penal Code, including charges related to conspiracy against the state.
The primary charge that led to life imprisonment pertained to conspiracy to commit an offence against the state.
The convicted individuals include Maulana Umar Gautam, Arshan Mustafa, Abdul Mannan, Adam, Mohd Atif, Mufti Qazi Jahangir Qasmi, Kaushar Alam, Faraz Babullah Shah, Irfan Sheikh, Salahuddin Zainuddin Sheikh, Dheeraj Govind, Rahul Bola, Sarfaraz Ali Jafari, Abdullah Umar and Mohd Kaleem Siddiqui.
Furthermore, Maulana Umar Gautam and Abdullah Umar received an additional five years of “rigorous imprisonment,” and were also fined.
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In addition to this, the court sentenced 16 other Muslims to ten years imprisonment, including three years of rigorous imprisonment, under the Uttar Pradesh Unlawful Religious Conversion Prohibition Act, 2021. A fine was also imposed on each of the 16 convicts.
The jailing of Maulana Kaleem Siddiqui and Maulana Umar Gautam, in particular, has drawn a lot of attention to the case as both men are well-respected in Muslim circles for their involvement in religious preaching.
Both were arrested in 2021 as part of a broader crackdown on alleged illegal religious conversions in India’s Uttar Pradesh.
Muslim organisations across the country have condemned the arrests, arguing that they are part of a broader campaign targeting Islamic scholars and institutions involved in religious outreach.
In Uttar Pradesh the Unlawful Religious Conversion Prohibition Act, passed in 2021, prohibits conversions carried out by means of force, fraud, or inducement and is perceived as disproportionately affecting the Muslim community.
However, Muslim groups in India believe that the cases will most likely be appealed in higher courts, on the grounds that the charges are politically motivated.
Nevertheless, the sentences have sparked widespread debate, particularly within Muslim circles, regarding the state’s crackdown on religious conversions.
While Indian authorities claim to be preventing forced conversions, critics claim that the law is being misused to target minority religious leaders.
In recent years, several Indian states have passed anti-conversion laws that forbid conversions by coercion or inducement. But the way these laws are being misused, particularly in states under the current right-wing ruling BJP government, has raised concerns that they could further undermine rights of religious minorities in India.
