A Lucknow sessions court has convicted renowned Islamic scholar Maulana Kaleem Siddiqui, along with Umar Gautam and 14 others, in a case of alleged illegal mass religious conversion.
They were found guilty on various charges, including cheating, conspiracy against the state, and inciting enmity between religious communities.
The charges fall under multiple sections of the Indian Penal Code, including 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 offenses). Moreover, they were convicted under the Illegal Conversion Act (sections 3, 4, and 5).
Interestingly, no individual had directly lodged a complaint against Maulana Siddiqui for conversion. Along with Siddiqui, the convicted individuals include Maulana Umar Gautam, Arshan Mustafa alias Bhupriya Bando, Adam alias Prasad Rameshwaram Kovere, Abdul Mannan alias Munnu Yadav, Mohd Atif alias 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.
Maulana Kaleem Siddiqui was arrested in September 2021, accused of running a nationwide syndicate for illegal religious conversions through various organizations and schools he funded. He was also alleged to have received foreign donations to fuel these activities and to promote enmity between religious groups, threatening India’s sovereignty and integrity.
