Bombay HC rejects love jihad claim while granting pre-arrest bail
says interfaith relations can not have religious angle by default
Mumbai, Mar 1: A relationship can not be dubbed as a form of 'love Jihad' just because the boy and the girl belong to different religions, the Bombay High Court has said while granting pre-arrest bail to a Muslim woman and her family.
A division bench of Justices Vibha Kankanwadi and Abhay Waghwase in an order of February 26 granted anticipatory bail to the accused who were denied relief by the local court.
The woman's former lover had alleged that she and her family forced him to convert to Islam and undergo circumcision.
His lawyer, while opposing the pre-arrest bail applications of the woman and her family members, also argued that it was a case of 'love jihad'.
Love jihad is a term used by Hindu right-wing organizations to claim, without evidence, that there is a widespread conspiracy to lure Hindu women and convert them to Islam through marriage.
Here, though, the accuser was a man.
The High Court rejected the love jihad argument, pointing out that the man, in the First Information Report, had admitted that he was in a relationship with the woman and did not end the relationship despite having several opportunities.
"Merely because the boy and girl are from different religions, it cannot have a religions angle. It can be a case of pure love for each other," the court said.
"It appears that now the colour has been tried to be given of Love-Jihad, but when love is accepted then there is less possibility of the person being trapped just for converting him into the other's religion," it added.
As per the prosecution case, the man and woman were in a relationship since March 2018. The man belonged to a Scheduled Caste community, but did not disclose this to the woman.
Later, the woman began insisting that he should convert to Islam and marry her, after which the man disclosed his caste identity to her parents, he said. They did not object to his caste identity and convinced their daughter to accept it.
But the relations later turned sour, following which the man lodged a case against the woman and her family in December 2022.
The High Court, while granting pre-arrest bail to the woman and her family, said the probe was almost over and hence their custody would not be necessary.
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T'gana RTC strike: Talks between govt, employees successful
Hyderabad (PTI): Talks between employees of Telangana State Road Transport Corporation (RTC) who were on strike and the state government concluded successfully on Friday as the government agreed to the key demands of the workmen.
Following a day-long marathon of talks between the leaders of the employees' Joint Action Committee (JAC) and the cabinet sub-committee, the government announced after midnight that it acceded to the demands, including a merger of RTC with the government, 11 per cent pay revision and elections to the employees' unions.
A committee comprising officials and employee leaders would be appointed over the merger of RTC with the government, it said.
The RTC management has also agreed to address the remaining issues as well, an official release said.
The employees would call off their strike and the RTC buses would hit the roads shortly, it said.
The employees had been on an indefinite strike since April 22 over a series of demands, including the merger of RTC with the government.
Earlier in the day, a driver of the RTC, who attempted suicide on April 23 during the strike, died at a hospital here in the early hours of Friday.
Shankar Goud, a 55-year-old driver, set himself ablaze by pouring petrol at Narsampet in Warangal district when the employees were staging a protest on Thursday in support of their demands.
Goud suffered serious burns, was initially admitted to a state-run hospital in Warangal, and later shifted to a super-speciality hospital in Hyderabad for advanced treatment.
"He succumbed (to injuries) at about 1.30 am on Friday," a senior official said.
The driver’s body was taken to his relative’s village, Muttojipet in Warangal district, for funeral rites.
Tension prevailed in Muttojipet as his family members and RTC employees attempted to take the body to the Narsampet bus station, where he worked, to enable his colleagues to pay their last respects. However, police did not permit this, citing law-and-order concerns.
This led to a deadlock before the funeral could proceed.
Union Minister Bandi Sanjay Kumar criticised the Telangana government for not allowing the body to be taken to the Narsampet bus station.
Kumar, Minister of State (Home), visited Muttojipet village in Warangal district, where the funeral was held, and paid homage to Goud.
“They (family members) want to take the body to the bus depot for five minutes. Is the RTC bus depot in Pakistan or Bangladesh? They are emotionally attached to taking the body there. The government is hurting sentiments and creating fear among RTC employees,” Kumar told reporters.
He also expressed anger at the police for not allowing the body to be taken to the bus station and staged a protest, according to a release from his office.
RTC employees and BJP workers attempted to take the mortal remains in an ambulance to Narsampet, but were stopped by the police.
Later, after discussions with the police, the family members and RTC employees agreed to conduct the funeral in the village.
Sanjay Kumar, stating he would abide by the family’s decision, left the village after the funeral was conducted there.
Transport Minister Ponnam Prabhakar said an ex gratia of Rs 10 lakh, a house, and a government job would be provided to the kin of Goud.
Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy expressed shock over the employee’s death and conveyed deep condolences to the grieving family, according to the release.
The RTC employees’ JAC had earlier announced an agitation programme from April 24 to 29, including silent marches and submission of memorandums to MLAs and other leaders.
