A special UP ATS court has directed investigating authorities to invoke additional serious sections of the Indian Penal Code against eight accused arrested in an illegal conversion case. Uttar Pradesh Anti-Terrorist Squad had appeared before the court to let them include sections 121a (conspiracy to wage war against Government of India) and 123 (concealing with intent to facilitate design to wage war) in the FIR against the accused. The court has also summoned the accused to the next hearing on September 14.
Earlier, the ATS team had approached the Chief Judicial Magistrate in Lucknow with their appeal to include the sections in the FIR. In their application, the ATS said that in the investigation, they found that the group was not just involved in illegal conversion, but the accused also wanted to disrupt the population balance and create a rift between people of different religions.
The ATS also claimed that there was a conspiracy to challenge the unity, diversity and sovereignty of India. The CJM, however, found that the local court does not have the authority to pass decisions relating to sections 121 and 123 of the IPC.
The authorities then moved to the Special ATS Court with their appeal to include the consequential sections of the IPC. The accused Umar Gautam, Mufti Jahangir Kasmi, Irfan Sheikh, Salauddin Zainuddin Sheikh, Prasad Rameshwar Kavre alias Adam, Arslan alias Bhupriya Bando, Kausar Alam and Faraz Shah are now also booked under sections 121a and 123 of IPC.
The eight accused were already charged with sections 417, 120b, 153a, 153b, 295a, 298 and Uttar Pradesh Prohibition of Unlawful Religious Conversion Act, 2021.
Uttar Pradesh had passed the anti-conversion bill earlier this year. The bill penalises those who undertake conversions through marriage, deceit, coercion or incitement.
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