On Wednesday, the Allahabad High Court granted bail to prominent Islamic scholar Maulana Kaleem Siddiqui, who had been imprisoned under a draconian anti-conversion law.
Maulana Siddiqui, a famous cleric from western Uttar Pradesh, was arrested in September 2021 by the state’s Anti-Terrorist Squad.
The Anti-Terrorist Squad stated Siddiqui was the head of India’s “biggest[religious] conversion syndicate.”
Allahabad High Court grants bail to Maulana Kaleem Siddiqui, who has been in jail for 20 months for conversion, will be released soon. pic.twitter.com/gE0lXKZ1Gd
— Ahmed Khabeer احمد خبیر (@AhmedKhabeer_) April 5, 2023
Maulana Siddiqui’s lawyer said that he will be released soon.
Maulana Siddiqui’s arrest drew harsh condemnation from Muslim community leaders, who questioned the accusations against him, claiming that propagating one’s faith is a constitutional right and that conversion is not a crime.
The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom, an independent American government body that watches the fundamental right to freedom of religion and makes policy recommendations to the White House, also took notice of Siddique’s arrest.
The UP ATS had asserted that it had busted an alleged illegal conversion ring operating under the direction of Mohammad Umar Gautam and Kaleem Siddiqui last year. The ring allegedly used psychological coercion for forced conversions as part of its plan to establish an Islamic state and received funding from various nations to carry it out.
Parliamentarians, MLAs, community leaders, and activists declared shortly after his arrest that the veteran Muslim leader’s constitutional rights were violated at every step of his detention.
“Siddiqui’s fault is that he believed in Constitution which gives him the right to profess and preach any religion,” said Dr. Zafarul Islam Khan, former chairman of the Delhi Minorities Commission.