A NIA-ATS court in Uttar Pradesh’s Lucknow on Wednesday sentenced renowned Islamic scholar Maulana Kaleem Siddiqui, along with Umar Gautam and ten others, to life imprisonment in a 2021 case related to religious conversion. Judge Vivekanand Sharan Tripathi delivered the verdict.
The life imprisonment is under IPC section 121A —conspiracy to commit an offence against the state.
Muslim organisations had condemned the spree of arrest and investigations against Muslim scholars who engaged in preaching Islam. Both Maulana Kaleem Siddiqui and Umar Gautam, well-recognised for their involvement in preaching Islam, spent years in jail before being released on bail last year.
The convicted are Maulana Umar Gautam, Arshan Mustafa, Adam, Abdul Mannan and Mohd Atif, Mufti Qazi Jahangir Qasmi, Kaushar Alam, Faraz Babullah Shah, Irfan Sheikh, Salahuddin Zainuddin Sheikh, Dheeraj Govind, Rahul Bola, Mohd Kaleem Siddiqui, Mohd Salim, Sarfaraz Ali Jafari and Abdullah Umar.
Another 10-year jail sentence is given to 16 Muslims, including the 12 sentenced to life. They are also punished with three years of rigorous imprisonment and a fine of Rs 10,000/- under Section 8 of the Uttar Pradesh Unlawful Religious Conversion (Prohibition) Act 2021.
The charges include sections of the Indian Penal Code such as 417 (cheating), 120B (criminal conspiracy), 153A (promoting enmity between different groups), 153B (prejudicial imputations), 295A (deliberate acts to outrage religious feelings), 121A (conspiracy against the state), and 123 (concealing offences). They were also convicted under the Illegal Conversion Act (sections 3, 4, and 5).
The court order, accessed by Maktoob, said the previous period spent by the convicted person in jail would be included in this punishment.
Maulana Umar Gautam and Abdullah Omar are each sentenced to five years of rigorous imprisonment and a fine of Rs 25,000/- under Section 35 FCRA.