Across several States, courts have delivered convictions in cases involving allegations of religious conversion, sexual exploitation, rape, abduction, blackmail, concealed identities and pressure to convert Hindu women and girls. The 19 cases covered in this report span Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Uttarakhand, West Bengal, Haryana, Gujarat and Jharkhand, with verdicts ranging from three years of imprisonment to life imprisonment.
The cases include judicial findings against accused persons in incidents involving minor Hindu girls, women and members of vulnerable communities. Several verdicts involved allegations that the accused concealed their identities by using Hindu names, while other cases involved allegations of rape, confinement, obscene videos, blackmail, abduction and pressure or attempts to bring victims into religious conversion and marriage.
The sentences handed down by the courts include life imprisonment in cases from Nainital, Tamluk, Barabanki, Anuppur, Bulandshahr and Bareilly, while other courts awarded sentences of 20 years, 14 years, 12 years, 10 years, seven years, five years and three years. The judgments also included fines and, in some cases, directions for victim compensation or financial assistance.
The incidents also demonstrate the range of circumstances considered by courts. These include alleged sexual exploitation after false identities were used, alleged coercion involving religious conversion, confinement and threats, the use of obscene material for blackmail, and cases involving minors. In one case, the court convicted the accused after examining 17 prosecution witnesses and forensic evidence, while another trial resulted in a conviction within approximately six months.
The detailed 19 Major Incidents: Judicial Sentencing in Love Jihad cases (2022-2026) are given below.
1. Budaun Court Sentences Shakir Hussain to 10 Years for Rape, Confinement and Forced Religious Conversion of Hindu Woman
The Additional Sessions Judge/Fast Track Court for offences against women in Budaun sentenced 62-year-old Shakir Hussain to 10 years of rigorous imprisonment on July 20, 2026, after finding him guilty of repeatedly raping a Hindu woman, confining her and her minor daughter for three months, and attempting to forcibly convert them to Islam. The case originated in the Bilsi police station area of Budaun district, while the woman and her daughter were confined in a rented house in Jidhpura, Kasganj district.
Judge Neha Garg convicted Shakir Hussain and sentenced him to 10 years of rigorous imprisonment. Hussain had presented himself as a religious healer and came into contact with the victim’s family on the pretext of treating her mentally disabled son. He visited the family several times and promised to cure the illness completely. The woman trusted him, which he allegedly used to take her and her daughter to an isolated location and confine them in a rented house.
On March 21, 2025, the woman was travelling to her parental home when Shakir Hussain took both the mother and daughter on a motorcycle to a rented house in Jidhpura, Kasganj district. He kept them confined there for three months and repeatedly raped the woman. When she refused to have sexual relations, he threatened to kill her minor daughter. A medical examination conducted after the woman was rescued found a pregnancy of six weeks and five days.
During the proceedings, the woman and her daughter stated that Shakir Hussain forced them to offer namaz. He allegedly compelled the daughter to address him as ‘Abba’ and her mother as ‘Ammi’. He also forcibly converted the woman to Islam and compelled her to marry him. He forcibly removed a tattoo from the woman’s hand using a poisonous chemical, leaving permanent marks on her hand.
On March 27, 2025, a missing-person report was registered at Bilsi police station on the complaint of Prem Shankar, the victim’s husband. His wife and their 10-year-old daughter had gone missing on March 21 while travelling to their parental home. Around two months later, Prem Shankar submitted another complaint, expressing suspicion against Shakir Hussain. An FIR was registered on May 27, 2025.
The police recovered the mother and daughter on June 27, 2025. After examining the statements of the victims and witnesses, the medical report and the evidence presented by the prosecution, the court found Shakir Hussain guilty on all charges. He was convicted under Sections 137(2), 87, 64(2), 351(3), 127(4) and relevant provisions of the Uttar Pradesh Prohibition of Unlawful Conversion of Religion Act.
For the offence of rape, the court awarded him 10 years of rigorous imprisonment and imposed a total fine of Rs 1,50,000. The court ordered that all sentences would run concurrently, while the period already spent in custody would be adjusted against the sentence. The trial was completed in approximately six months.
2. Nainital Court Sentences Rishabh Tiwari alias Imran to Life Imprisonment for Murder of Diksha Mishra
The District and Sessions Court in Nainital sentenced Rishabh Tiwari alias Imran to life imprisonment for the murder of Diksha Mishra. The court, presided over by District and Sessions Judge Prashant Joshi, also imposed a fine of Rs 1 lakh on the convict. In case of non-payment, he will undergo an additional one year of imprisonment. The court further directed the District Legal Services Authority to provide financial assistance to the deceased woman’s mother and daughter under the victim assistance scheme.
According to the prosecution, Diksha Mishra, a resident of Horizon Homes Extension, Gautam Buddh Nagar, Uttar Pradesh, was murdered in a hotel in Nainital on the night of August 15, 2021. Shweta Sharma, the complainant, lodged a report against Rishabh Tiwari alias Imran at Mallital police station on August 16, 2021.
Shweta Sharma and Almas found Diksha dead and unclothed inside the hotel room, while her husband, Rishabh alias Imran, had fled from the spot. The post-mortem examination found that Diksha died of asphyxia caused by strangulation.
The prosecution stated that the accused had introduced himself to Diksha as a Hindu Brahmin and brought her to Nainital on the pretext of celebrating her birthday. Before the incident, he had also not provided any identification document in order to conceal his identity. During the investigation, hotel CCTV footage showed Imran leaving the hotel with a suitcase after the incident.
Diksha’s 15-year-old daughter, Shanaya, told the court that Rishabh Tiwari used to quarrel with her mother over money. Sub-Inspector Nitin Bahuguna arrested the accused from Ghaziabad on August 16, 2021, along with the deceased woman’s mobile phone.
The prosecution examined 17 witnesses in the case and also presented doctors from the Central Forensic Science Laboratory before the court. The evidence presented during the proceedings established that the accused had concealed his Muslim identity while befriending Diksha Mishra and subsequently murdered her.
After examining the evidence, the court convicted Rishabh Tiwari alias Imran and awarded him life imprisonment along with the Rs 1 lakh fine.
3. Pratapgarh Court Sentences Sameer Ahmed to 20 Years for Abduction, Rape and Pressuring Minor for Religious Conversion
A special POCSO court in Pratapgarh sentenced Sameer Ahmed, a resident of the Udaypur police station area, to 20 years of imprisonment and imposed a fine of Rs 1 lakh for abducting a minor, raping her on the promise of marriage and pressuring her to convert her religion. Special Judge under the POCSO Act, Parul Verma, directed that the fine be used towards the victim’s medical treatment, compensation for mental trauma and rehabilitation. In case of non-payment, the convict will undergo an additional two years of imprisonment. The court also directed that compensation be provided to the victim through the Rani Lakshmibai Women’s Honour Fund.
According to the victim’s uncle, the incident took place between 2 and 3 am on July 14, 2024. The 17-year-old victim had lost her mother, while her father was missing. Sameer Ahmed, a resident of the village, allegedly took the girl away on the promise of marriage and raped her.
According to the Special Public Prosecutor, the victim appeared before the court and recorded her statement. She stated that Sameer lured her into having a physical relationship, called her by phone to a road behind her house and then took her on a motorcycle to his aunt’s house in Gauriganj, Amethi. Sameer’s aunt and other family members lived outside the area and no one was present at the house. The victim stated that Sameer had sexual relations with her there.
According to the victim, Sameer then told her to change her religion, accept Islam and marry him. He allegedly assured her that she would live well and would not face any shortage of anything in life.
The court took a stern view of the victim’s financial hardship and the alleged attempt to induce her to convert her religion through deception. Seven witnesses were produced by the prosecution during the trial.
After hearing both sides, the court convicted Sameer Ahmed and awarded him the above-mentioned sentence. Special Public Prosecutor Nirbhay Singh represented the state government in the case.
4. Jaunpur Court Sentences Mohammad Talib to 12 Years for Rape, Obscene Video and Forced Religious Conversion of Minor Student
The Additional Sessions Judge of Jaunpur, Umesh Kumar II, sentenced Mohammad Talib alias Talib Ansari, a resident of Kothiya in Purani Bazar, to 12 years of imprisonment and imposed a fine of Rs 25,000 after finding him guilty of trapping a Class 11 minor student in a relationship under what was described as a Love Jihad case, sexually assaulting her, making an obscene video and threatening to circulate it, and forcibly converting her religion. The incident took place in the Kotwali police station area of Jaunpur.
The court separately awarded five years of imprisonment and a fine of Rs 15,000 for the offence related to religious conversion, and two years of imprisonment and a fine of Rs 1,000 for issuing threats. In case of non-payment of the fines, the convict will undergo an additional three months of imprisonment.
The victim’s father lodged a complaint at Kotwali police station on July 25, 2023. He stated that Talib Ansari had allegedly trapped his daughter in a relationship and sexually exploited her for two years. He further alleged that the accused made an obscene video, used it to force her to change her religion and continued the sexual abuse by threatening to circulate the video.
The victim’s father also alleged that the accused, along with his associates, sexually exploited the victim’s friends as well.
The victim’s mother stated that when she returned home in March 2023, she found her daughter in an objectionable situation with the accused. When she raised an alarm, the accused allegedly fled after issuing threats.
The family further alleged that the accused was part of an organised group that trapped girls in relationships and subjected them to religious conversion. According to the complaint, the group operated an Instagram account named ‘77’, through which girls were allegedly subjected to brainwashing.
5. Mainpuri Court Sentences Shahenshah Khan alias Rajkumar to 20 Years for Rape of Minor After Drugging Her
The Special POCSO Court in Mainpuri sentenced Shahenshah Khan, son of Nizamuddin, to 20 years of rigorous imprisonment for sexually assaulting a minor girl after allegedly giving her a drugged cold drink. Special Judge POCSO Court Jitendra Mishra also imposed a fine of Rs 20,000 on the convict. In case of non-payment, he will undergo an additional three months of imprisonment. The court directed that the entire fine amount be paid to the victim.
The case began in a village in the Karhal area of Mainpuri district. The accused, a resident of Sahjan in Kasganj district, had allegedly used the name Rajkumar. The victim was taken to Kasganj, Mathura and Noida during the incident.
After the sentence was pronounced, Shahenshah Khan was sent to jail. Judge Jitendra Mishra completed the trial and delivered the verdict within 15 months. The case was argued by Additional District Government Counsel Vishwajit Singh Rathore.
On April 13, 2024, the father of the 15-year-old girl, a resident of a village in the Karhal area, submitted a written complaint to the police. He stated that Rajkumar, a resident of Sahjan in Kasganj, frequently visited the area because he was involved in work related to constructing a dam on a nearby river. On the same day, his elder daughter had gone to offer prayers along with her younger sister. Rajkumar arrived there in a car and allegedly took his 15-year-old elder daughter with him.
Based on the complaint, the police registered a case, recovered the girl and arrested the accused before sending him to jail. In her statement, the recovered girl said that Shahenshah took her to Kasganj on a motorcycle. He kept her at a hotel there and allegedly gave her a drugged cold drink before sexually assaulting her. She was subsequently taken to Mathura and then to Noida. The accused later brought her back to Kasganj.
During the police investigation, it was found that the accused’s actual name was not Rajkumar but Shahenshah Khan, son of Nizamuddin, a resident of Sahjan in Kasganj. He had changed his name to Rajkumar and used that identity while working at the river site.
After completing the investigation, Karhal police filed a chargesheet against Shahenshah Khan before the court. The court found him guilty of raping the minor and the related offences and sentenced him to 20 years of rigorous imprisonment along with the fine.
6. Tamluk Court Sentences Four Accused to Life Imprisonment for Burning Hindu Mother and Daughter Alive
The Tamluk District Court sentenced four Muslim youths, Saddam Hussain, Manzur Alam, Aminur Hussain and another accused, to life imprisonment on August 2, 2025, in connection with the February 2020 case involving a Hindu mother and daughter in the Jikurghali area of Haldia, Purba Medinipur. The accused were convicted in the case involving allegations of trapping the mother and daughter in a relationship, sexually assaulting them and setting them on fire after pouring petrol on them.
After a trial that continued for five years, the court convicted the accused under various provisions of the Indian Penal Code, particularly Section 302 concerning murder and Section 376 concerning rape, where applicable, along with other possible provisions including the POCSO Act.
The court subsequently sentenced all four accused to life imprisonment in the case involving the Hindu mother and daughter.
7. Yamunanagar Court Sentences Shahbaz to Seven Years for Rape and Pressuring Minor Hindu Student for Religious Conversion
A court in Jagadhri, Yamunanagar, sentenced Shahbaz to a total of seven years of imprisonment and imposed a fine of Rs 1 lakh on July 17, 2025, after finding him guilty under various provisions, including the POCSO Act, in a case involving the harassment, rape and alleged pressure to convert a minor Hindu girl.
In November 2024, the accused allegedly followed the 14-year-old Hindu girl while she was going to school, harassed her and pressured her to enter into a relationship with a Muslim minor and convert her religion.
8. Barabanki Court Sentences Mohammad Salman to Life Imprisonment for Rape, Attempted Forced Conversion and Caste Abuse
A Special SC/ST Court in Barabanki, Uttar Pradesh, sentenced Mohammad Salman to life imprisonment along with several other punishments on May 29, 2025, after finding him guilty of posing as a Hindu to trap a Dalit girl, raping her, attempting to forcibly convert her and subjecting her to caste-based abuse.
Judge Veena Narayan convicted Salman under Sections 376, 366, 406, 504 and 506 of the Indian Penal Code, Section 3(2)(v) of the SC/ST Act, and Sections 3 and 5(1) of the Uttar Pradesh Prohibition of Unlawful Conversion of Religion Act.
9. Kanpur Court Sentences Sartaj to 10 Years for Rape and Blackmail of Hindu Woman
A district court in Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh, sentenced Sartaj to 10 years of imprisonment and imposed a fine of Rs 30,000 on December 30, 2021, after finding him guilty of posing as a Hindu, trapping a Hindu woman in a relationship, raping her and blackmailing her using an obscene video.
The court convicted Sartaj under the case concerning the sexual exploitation and blackmail of the Hindu woman. The case marked the first conviction and sentence under the Uttar Pradesh Prohibition of Unlawful Conversion of Religion Act, 2021, after the law came into effect on February 24, 2021.
10. Surat POCSO Court Sentences Ashad Altaf to 20 Years for Rape of Minor Hindu Girl
The Surat POCSO Court, presided over by Justice Shakuntala Naresh Solanki, sentenced Ashad Altaf to 20 years of rigorous imprisonment on March 18, 2025, after finding him guilty in a case involving the rape of a minor Hindu girl. The court also imposed a fine of Rs 1,00,000 on him.
Vesu police had registered a case against Ashad under Sections 376(2)(n), 450, 465, 468, 471 and 120(B) of the Indian Penal Code and Sections 4, 6 and 17 of the POCSO Act.
Altaf was arrested on September 22, 2023.
11. Anuppur Court Sentences Syed Asgar Ali to Life Imprisonment for Abduction, Rape and Religious Conversion of Minor Hindu Girl
The District and Sessions Court in Anuppur sentenced 35-year-old Syed Asgar Ali, son of Syed Tajuddin Ali, to life imprisonment for abducting, raping and converting a minor Hindu girl.
The In-charge District Public Prosecution Officer stated that the girl, aged 16 years and five months, went missing on June 10, 2021. Her father subsequently lodged a missing-person report at Kotwali police station, following which Asgar Ali’s involvement in the case came to light.
12. Bulandshahr Court Sentences Anees to Life Imprisonment for Rape and Religious Conversion of Dalit Woman
A Special SC/ST Court in Bulandshahr sentenced Anees to life imprisonment for raping a Dalit woman and converting her religion. The court also imposed a fine of Rs 4.56 lakh on him.
The case was registered in the Gulawathi police station area of Bulandshahr after the Dalit woman alleged that a Muslim man named Anees introduced himself as Akash and lured her into a relationship. She alleged that he first got her to change her religion and subsequently forcibly converted her and married her.
After hearing the arguments from both sides, the SC/ST Court convicted Anees and awarded him life imprisonment along with the fine of Rs 4.56 lakh.
13. Raebareli Court Sentences Azam Alam to 10 Years for Raping Hindu Woman After Concealing Identity
A fast-track court in Raebareli sentenced Azam Alam to 10 years of imprisonment and imposed a fine of Rs 20,000 after finding him guilty of sexually exploiting a Hindu woman for three years after allegedly presenting himself as a Hindu and trapping her in a relationship.
The victim stated that she met the accused in 2021. She submitted a complaint at Lalganj police station on July 20, 2021, following which a case was registered and a chargesheet was filed before the court.
After hearing the case, the Fast Track Court judge convicted Azam Alam and sentenced him to 10 years of imprisonment along with the Rs 20,000 fine.
14. Indore Court Sentences Sabir Khan for Rape and Threats of Forced Religious Conversion
In Hatod, Indore, Muslim youth Sabir Khan raped a Hindu girl at knifepoint and threatened her with forced religious conversion and marriage. Sabir allegedly told the woman that she would have to change her religion, become Muslim and marry him, failing which he would circulate her photographs on social media.
The Indore District Court sentenced 20-year-old Mohammad Sabir under Sections 3 and 5 of the Madhya Pradesh Religious Freedom Act, 2021, in what was described as the first case in Indore involving pressure to convert that resulted in a court sentence. He was awarded five years of rigorous imprisonment and fined Rs 56,000.
15. Bareilly Court Sentences Mohammad Alim to Life Imprisonment for Rape and Forced Abortion After Concealing Identity
In the Deoranian police station area of Bareilly, Muslim youth Mohammad Alim allegedly posed as Anand and trapped a Hindu girl in a relationship. After sexually exploiting her for three years, he allegedly made obscene videos and photographs and threatened to circulate them.
Unable to bear the alleged harassment, the victim lodged a complaint at Deoranian police station in September 2024.
On January 2, 2025, the Supreme Court sentenced Mohammad Alim to life imprisonment after finding him guilty of rape and forced abortion.
16. Vidisha Court Sentences Arbaz to Three Years for Rape and Pressuring Hindu Woman to Convert
In Vidisha, Muslim youth Arbaz allegedly posed as Amit and trapped a Hindu girl in a relationship in September 2021, after which he raped her. He subsequently pressured the victim to marry him and change her religion.
Following the victim’s complaint, Kotwali police arrested the accused and produced him before the court. The District Court subsequently sentenced Arbaz to three years of imprisonment under various provisions and imposed a fine of Rs 60,000.
17. Narmada Court Sentences Imtiyaz Pathan to 10 Years for Rape and Blackmail of Tribal Minor
Imtiyaz Pathan posed as a Hindu and trapped a minor girl from a tribal community in a relationship before raping her. He allegedly recorded an obscene video of the girl and used it to blackmail her, subsequently forcing her to face sexual assault by his father, Shabbir.
The girl’s father lodged an FIR at Dediapada police station. The District Court sentenced Imtiyaz Pathan to 10 years of rigorous imprisonment and imposed a fine of Rs 17,000. His father, Shabbir, was also sentenced to three years of imprisonment.
18. Koderma Court Sentences Rinku Ansari to 14 Years for Abduction, Rape and Religious Conversion of Minor Hindu Girl
The District Court in Koderma sentenced 30-year-old Rinku Ansari, son of Mohammad Ghulam Mustafa, to 14 years of imprisonment and imposed a fine of Rs 20,000 for abducting a minor Hindu girl and converting her religion.
The victim had lodged a case against Rinku Ansari at Satgawan police station in Koderma on March 18, 2013. In her complaint, she stated that Rinku had been sexually assaulting her for several months. She further stated that whenever he left his house, he would lock the room from outside to prevent her from escaping.
19. Amroha Court Sentences Mohammad Afzal to Five Years for Abduction of Minor Hindu Girl
In the Hasanpur Kotwali area of Amroha, Mohammad Afzal allegedly posed as Armaan Kohli and trapped a 16-year-old Hindu girl in a relationship before abducting her with the intention of marrying her.
After the victim’s father came to know about Afzal’s identity, he lodged a complaint. During the final hearing of the case on September 17, 2022, the District and Sessions Judge convicted Afzal and sentenced him to five years of imprisonment. The court also imposed a fine of Rs 40,000.
The 19 cases show a series of judicial convictions involving allegations of rape, abduction, sexual exploitation, blackmail, concealed identities, religious conversion and pressure to convert. The sentences delivered by courts range from three years of imprisonment to life imprisonment, with several judgments also imposing substantial fines and directing financial assistance or compensation for victims.
A recurring feature across several cases is the allegation that identities were concealed through the use of Hindu names. Other cases involved obscene videos and threats of circulation, confinement, coercion, abduction and pressure for religious conversion. The judicial records described in these cases show courts examining victim statements, medical evidence, witness testimony, forensic material and other prosecution evidence before delivering convictions.
The geographical spread of the convictions is also notable within the 19 cases presented here, covering Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Uttarakhand, West Bengal, Haryana, Gujarat and Jharkhand. The cases involve both adult women and minor girls, including victims from Dalit and tribal communities.
Taken together, these judicial outcomes underline the seriousness with which the courts dealt with the offences established in the individual cases. From the five-year sentence awarded in Amroha in 2022 to life imprisonment awarded in several later cases, the judgments represent a continuing record of judicial action in cases involving sexual offences, abduction, blackmail and alleged religious conversion.
