UP court sentences man to life imprisonment, citing ‘love jihad’
Women had retracted statement alleging pressure from right wing groups during trial
Bareilly: A fast-track court in Bareilly has sentenced a 25-year-old Muslim man, Mohd Aalim Ahmad, to life imprisonment, calling his case an example of ‘love jihad’ despite the woman retracting her statement and alleging pressure from right-wing groups.
In his 42-page order, Additional District and Sessions Judge Ravi Kumar Diwakar elaborated on the concept of ‘love jihad,’ asserting that such cases involve “deceit and religious conversion” and are often funded by foreign sources. The judge noted that the accused had deceived the woman by initially introducing himself as Anand Kumar when they met at a coaching class in 2022. They were married in a temple on March 13, 2022, but the woman later discovered his real identity and claimed she was misled.
Aalim was charged under multiple sections, including s. 376-2n (rape), s. 506 (criminal intimidation), and s. 323 (voluntarily causing hurt) of the IPC. His father, Mohd Sabir, was also sentenced to two years in jail under s. 504 (criminal intimidation).
The woman, who had given a statement against Aalim on July 31, 2024, later changed her position during a court appearance on September 19, stating, “I registered the FIR after right-wing groups pressured my parents.” However, the court did not accept her retraction, believing it was influenced by the accused.
The judge, who previously ordered a videographic survey of Varanasi’s Gyanvapi mosque complex, stated, “The primary aim of ‘love jihad’ is to alter demographics and stir international tensions, driven by radical factions within a religious group. It involves significant financial resources, and in this case, it is likely that foreign funding is involved.”
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Police hold inquiry at Isha Foundation in TN following court orders
Coimbatore (Tamil Nadu) (PTI): A strong contingent of 150 police personnel descended upon the Isha foundation here as part of an inquiry by the Coimbatore district superintendent of police after the Madras High Court sought a report from the Tamil Nadu government on all criminal cases registered against the spiritual guru Jaggi Vasudev's institution.
The HC bench while hearing a habeas corpus petition filed by S Kamaraj, a retired professor from Coimbatore, had directed the Tamil Nadu government to submit particulars on all the criminal cases registered against the spiritual guru Jaggi Vasudev's Isha Foundation.
In his petition, Kamaraj alleged his two daughters were "brainwashed to reside at the Isha Yoga Centre" in Coimbatore and that the foundation did not allow them to maintain any contact with their families.
The officials held an enquiry at the foundation, a senior police official said.
In response to the petition, Isha Foundation denied allegations that it advocated monkhood or asked people to get married, as these were individual choices.
"Isha Foundation was founded by Sadhguru to impart yoga and spirituality to people. We believe that adult individual human beings have the freedom and the wisdom to choose their path," the foundation said in a statement here.
It was home to thousands who were not monks and a few who have taken Brahmacharya or monkhood. Despite this, the petitioner wanted the monks to be produced before the court and the monks have presented themselves before the court.
"They have clearly stated that they are staying in Isha Yoga Center on their own volition. Now that the matter is seized by the court, we hope that truth will prevail and there is an end to all unnecessary controversies," the statement read.
It claimed that the petitioner and others tried to trespass into the premises under a false pretext of being a fact-finding committee to enquire about the crematorium being constructed by the foundation and they had filed a criminal complaint against the foundation.
The High Court had granted a stay on submission of the final report by the police.
"Apart from this, there is no other criminal case against the Foundation. Whoever indulges in spreading false information against the foundation will be strictly dealt with as per the law of the land," it said.
