A Lucknow court convicted Islamic scholar Maulana Kaleem Siddiqui, Umar Gautam, and 14 others on charges of involvement in what was described as a mass religious conversion racket.
The court found them guilty for fraud, conspiracy against the state, and promoting enmity between different groups of people on grounds of religion.
The convictions were under Sections 417, RPC-which prescribes imprisonment for a term that may extend to three years, or with fine, or with both; Section 120B RPC, criminal conspiracy; Section 153A RPC, promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of religion, race, place of residence, language, etc; Section 153B RPC, assertions prejudicial to national integration; Section 295A RPC, acts intended to outrage religious sentiments; Section 121A RPC, conspiracy to commit offenses punishable by Section 121 RPC; and Section 123 RPC, concealing a design to wage war.
They were also found guilty under sections 3, 4, and 5 of the Illegal Conversion Act.
Importantly, nobody filed a direct complaint of conversion against Siddiqui.
The rest of the other accused who were convicted are Umar Gautam, Arshan Mustafa Bhupriya Bando, Adam Prasad Rameshwaram Kovere, Abdul Mannan Munnu Yadav, Mohd Atif, Kunal Ashok Choudhary, 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.
Siddiqui was arrested in September 2021, on charges of operating a nationwide network for illegal conversions, allegedly backed by foreign elements with the objective of creating religious chaos, thereby destroying India’s security and harmony.
