Maulana Mufti Salman Azhari, 40, is a Famous Indian religious scholar, preacher, imam, and YouTuber. He was detained by the Indian police under the Anti-Social Activities Act (PASA) for eight months, however on Saturday Supreme Court ordered his release.
Azhari was detained on February 22, 2024, in Vadodara Central Jail after being accused of delivering a provocative speech at a gathering in Junagadh. He had been arrested by a special team of the Gujarat Police on February 4 while in Mumbai.
He was released from jail on Saturday after the Supreme Court lifted the PASA against him. His brother, Mufti Zubair Misbahi, confirmed that Salman has returned to his hometown of Karna.
The Supreme Court ordered his immediate release after criticizing the police. Justices Vikram Nath and Prasanna B Varale found no evidence that Azhari’s speeches disturbed public order. They set aside the Gujarat High Court’s earlier decision that had upheld his detention, stating, “Having gone through the material on record, we find that the order of detention cannot be sustained as there is nothing to suggest that the speeches delivered by the appellant are in any manner disturbing the public order.”
Alhamdulillah!We are pleased to share that our Shaykh Mufti Salman Azhari Sahab has safely reached his hometown following his release today after nearly 9 months.Yesterday,the Supreme Court ordered his release, declaring his detention as unsustainable.#muftisalmanazhari #islam pic.twitter.com/kIO6rD9mf3
— Mufti Salman Azhari (@muftisalman_) October 20, 2024
Azhari has studied at Al-Azhar University in Cairo, Egypt. He is the founder of the religious institute Jamia Riyazul Jannah and the Al-Amaan Educational and Welfare Trust.
He was earlier reportedly an imam at the Panke Shah Baba Dargah in Mumbai before his popularity grew and he was invited by the Muslim community across the country. Azhari gained a substantial following, particularly among the youth, due to social media. His speeches on social media platforms started going viral, following which his online presence grew. His PR team constantly posts videos of the religious sermons he delivers across the country.
Currently, Azhari has over 92,000 followers on X and 7.83 lakh followers on Instagram.
