Allahabad HC orders Uttar Pradesh govt to pay Rs 50,000 to man jailed in false anti-conversion case
Lucknow: The Allahabad High Court has imposed a fine of Rs 75,000 on the Uttar Pradesh government in a false anti-conversion case, directing the state to pay Rs 50,000 to the petitioner, Umed alias Ubaid Khan, who was jailed for one and a half months even after the alleged victim had stated before a magistrate that she had left home voluntarily.
A division bench of Justices Abdul Moin and Babita Rani passed the order on October 30 while hearing a petition filed by Khan and others, who were arrested under the Uttar Pradesh Prohibition of Unlawful Conversion of Religion Act, The Indian Express reported on Wednesday.
The petitioners had sought to quash a First Information Report (FIR) lodged at Matera police station in Bahraich district, accusing them of abducting a woman and attempting to convert her religion.
The bench ordered Khan’s release, noting that even after the woman had stated before a magistrate that she had gone to Delhi voluntarily to meet her daughter, the police continued the probe and kept the accused in custody.
“This petition is a glaring example of the state authorities failing and scrambling over each other in order to score brownie points,” the newspaper quoted the court as saying.
Describing the police action as “vexatious”, the bench ordered the state to pay Rs 50,000 to Khan and deposit the remaining Rs 25,000 with the court’s Legal Aid Services.
The case pertains to a complaint filed on September 13 by Pankaj Kumar, a resident of Bahraich, alleging that his wife had gone missing with jewellery and cash, and that five men, including Khan, had lured her away. Police booked the accused under Bharatiya Nyay Sanhita sections pertaining to kidnapping and under the state’s anti-conversion law.
The woman returned home and gave a statement, following which police added charges of criminal breach of trust, stolen property and a provision of the 2021 Prohibition of Unlawful Conversion of Religion Act. Khan was arrested on September 18.
However, on September 19, the woman gave a fresh statement before the magistrate, saying that she had left home voluntarily due to “regular domestic abuse” by her husband. In this statement, she did not allege any attempt at religious conversion and handed over all her jewellery to the police. Her lawyer later told the High Court that her earlier statement had been made under threats and coercion from her husband and in-laws, the report added.
“The court, having gone through the entire records… proceeds to exercise powers vested in it under Article 226 of the Constitution of India to quash the FIR and all consequential proceedings,” the court stated.
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Man held for killing 19-year-old college student in Himachal's Mandi
Shimla (PTI): One person has been arrested for allegedly killing a 19-year-old girl by slitting her throat in Himachal Pradesh's Mandi district, police said on Monday.
According to police, the incident occurred on Monday morning near the Gopalpur area, when the girl, identified as Siya Guleria, was on her way to college.
At that time, two unidentified assailants, riding on a bike, intercepted her and brutally assaulted her with a sharp weapon and slit her throat.
While the girl succumbed to injuries on the spot, the accused fled.
Police reached the spot as soon as they received the information and recovered the body. In the meantime, locals found the 36-year-old suspect in nearby fields where he was hiding.
The villagers also recovered the weapon used in the murder and immediately informed the police.
The situation got tense as locals who caught the culprit demanded that the accused be hanged, while the police team took him into custody and assured strict action against him.
Superintendent of Police (SP) Mandi, Vinod Kumar, said that a case of Murder has been registered.
The accused, identified as Vikas, has been arrested. Further investigation is underway, the SP said.
Several injury marks were found on the girl's body, and the forensic teams have taken the samples. The body would be handed over to the family members after conducting a postmortem at Nerchowk Medical College, he added.
Expressing deep anguish and strong condemnation over the brutal murder, Governor Kavinder Gupta termed it as "heinous, inhuman and deeply disturbing".
He said that such acts of violence are unacceptable in a civilised society and must be dealt with utmost severity.
The Governor spoke with the Director General of Police (DGP) and took a detailed report of the incident. He directed the police authorities to ensure strict and swift action against the culprit and to bring the guilty to justice at the earliest.
He also emphasised the need for continued vigilance and collective efforts to ensure the safety and security of citizens, especially women, according to a statement issued here.
Meanwhile, Leader of the Opposition Jai Ram Thakur, who met the family members of the victim on Monday, said that there are allegations that the accused was involved in drugs, and this aspect should also be probed. He demanded strict and fast action in the case.
He said that the family members feel that the condition of the road near their house was not good, and had the road been good, the girl would not have had to walk.
