The Allahabad High Court has denied bail to Imtiyaz Ansari, a Muslim man accused of pretending to be a Hindu, luring a Hindu girl, and attempting to convert her to Islam, a classic case of Love Jihad.
The bench of Justice Rohit Ranjan Agarwal highlighted the serious nature of the charges against Ansari, which include Sections 420, 467, 468, and 471 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and Sections 3/5(1) of the Uttar Pradesh Prohibition of Unlawful Conversion of Religion Act, 2021.
According to the prosecution, Ansari brought a Hindu girl, Kumkum, from Delhi to his village, Ladpur Usmanpur. The prosecution alleged that with the help of the Village Pradhan, Nargis Khatoon, and her husband, Taslim, false documents were created. These documents falsely identified Kumkum as Kumkum Bano, listed her father as Imtiyaz Ahmad, and changed her residential address from Delhi to Ladpur Usmanpur, with her religion shown as Muslim.
During the hearing, Additional Advocate General PK Giri stated that Kumkum, the daughter of Gopal Nagar and Sushma Devi, was a Hindu girl from New Delhi.
In her statement under Section 161 of the CrPC, Kumkum said, “I completed my senior secondary Class X examination from a government school in Delhi and was working in a factory in New Delhi where I met the applicant, who did not disclose that he was Muslim and wore a sacred red thread on his wrist.”
Kumkum testified that Ansari took her to his native village in Bareilly, where she discovered he was Muslim. She also stated that false documents were created in connivance with the Gram Pradhan, showing her as a Muslim domicile of his village.
Additional Advocate General Giri opposed Ansari’s bail, arguing that Kumkum was deceptively converted to Islam through fabricated documents and under the false pretext that Ansari was Hindu.
Ansari refuted the accusations, claiming he was being falsely implicated.
In its order, the Allahabad High Court emphasised the gravity of the allegations. Justice Agarwal stated, “From the statement of the girl, it is evident that she was convinced Ansari was a Hindu when he brought her to his native village and that she was shocked to learn he was indeed a Muslim.”
The court also noted that Ansari conspired with the village Pradhan to prepare false documents, not only showing Kumkum as a domicile of his village but also listing her as a Muslim.
Denying bail, the court observed, “In the instant case, the applicant misrepresented himself by fraudulent means as a Hindu while working at a private factory in Delhi and persuaded the girl to come to his native village, where documents were prepared for her conversion to the Muslim religion.”
Justice Agarwal further stated, “The nature of the charges, including those under the IPC and the Uttar Pradesh Prohibition of Unlawful Conversion of Religion Act, 2021, highlight the severity of the alleged actions. The court cannot overlook the potential implications of granting bail in such a case.”
The next hearing is set to further examine the evidence and testimonies presented by both parties.
