Bail Denied to Islamic Speaker Kalim Siddiqui and Seven Others

The Allahabad High Court has rejected the bail pleas of eight people, including Islamic speaker and well-known preacher Maulana Kalim Siddiqui, in a case over alleged illegal religious conversions in Uttar Pradesh, India.

However, the court granted conditional bail to eight other people convicted in the same case until their appeals are decided.

A Lucknow bench of the High Court, made up of Justice Rajesh Singh Chauhan and Justice Ram Manohar Narayan Mishra, issued the order on Wednesday (November 4).

The information was found in the court order published on Thursday (November 5) and reports by Indian media.

The eight people denied bail are Maulana Kalim Siddiqui, Maulana Muhammad Umar Gautam, Mufti Kazi Jhangir Qasmi, Salahuddin Zainuddin Sheikh, Prasad Rameshwar Kawre, also known as Adam, Irfan Sheikh, Kawsar Alam and Dr Faraz Babulullah Shah.

The eight people granted bail are Mannu Yadav, Abdullah Umar, Dheeraj Govindrao Jagtap, Bhuppriya Bando, also known as Arsalan Mustafa, Sarfaraz Ali Jafri, Muhammad Salim, Kunal Ashok Chowdhury, also known as Atif, and Rahul Bhola.

The court said the charges against the eight people denied bail were very serious. It also said the evidence presented against them during the trial was serious in nature. For these reasons, the bench found no strong grounds to grant them bail after their conviction.

However, the court found the charges against the other eight relatively less serious. It reached this view after considering their roles, the evidence against them and the overall situation of the case.

The eight people granted bail must provide personal bonds and two sureties for the same amount. If they have passports, they must submit them to the trial court. They cannot leave India without the High Court’s permission.

They must also cooperate with the hearing of their appeals and must not be involved in similar offences while on bail.

In addition, they must pay 50 per cent of the fines imposed by the trial court within two months of their release from prison. The court said their bail could be cancelled if they break any of these conditions.

The case began in June 2021 when the Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) of Uttar Pradesh Police started an investigation into alleged illegal religious conversion activities.

The matter came to light on June 20 that year, when Maulana Muhammad Umar Gautam and Mufti Kazi Jhangir Qasmi were arrested. Later, the names of several others, including Maulana Kalim Siddiqui, were added to the case.

During the investigation, police also looked into several organisations, including the Islamic Dawah Centre, and their sources of funding.

The prosecution alleged that an organised network was converting people through promises or pressure. It claimed that the targets included poor people, women, children and persons with disabilities. The prosecution also alleged that the activities received funding from both within India and abroad.

However, the defence’s response to these allegations and the final decision on the appeals are still pending.

On September 11, 2024, a special National Investigation Agency (NIA) court in Lucknow convicted 16 people after hearing four related cases and sentenced them.

The accused later filed separate criminal appeals against the verdict at the Allahabad High Court. While their appeals were pending, those in prison applied for bail.

After hearing the applications, the High Court granted bail to eight people and rejected the pleas of the other eight.