Latest news with #UttarPradeshProhibitionofUnlawfulConversionofReligionAct
Hindustan Times
4 hours ago
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
SC summons jail officials in Gzb for delaying bail release
The Supreme Court on Tuesday summoned Uttar Pradesh's director general of prisons and the superintendent of Ghaziabad district jail over the continued incarceration of a man despite being granted bail by the apex court nearly two months ago, calling it a 'travesty of justice'. SC summons jail officials in Gzb for delaying bail release A bench of justices KV Viswanathan and N Kotiswar Singh, sitting during the partial court working days, said, 'It is travesty of justice that on the ground the sub-section is not mentioned in the order of release, the petitioner till date has been kept behind bars.' The bench expressed displeasure that Aftab, the accused, remained in jail after a Supreme Court order on April 29 granted him bail, with jail authorities refusing to release him over a technicality. 'Do not take the order of the Supreme Court for granted,' the court warned. 'This calls for a serious enquiry. We direct the superintendent of Ghaziabad Jail to be personally present in court tomorrow. We direct the DG prisons of Uttar Pradesh to appear online.' 'This case presents an unfortunate scenario,' the bench said. 'It is stated by the petitioner that he is unable to secure release even after furnishing bail bond and sureties.' The delay, the bench noted, was due to the Supreme Court order citing Section 5 of the Uttar Pradesh Prohibition of Unlawful Conversion of Religion Act, 2021, instead of specifically mentioning Section 5(1), under which Aftab was formally charged. Calling the reason for delay 'ridiculous,' the court said it would initiate contempt proceedings if this omission was found to be the sole cause. 'If we find that this sub-clause was the reason, we will proceed with contempt as it is a matter of personal liberty,' the bench said. However, the court also warned the petitioner of serious consequences if the delay was due to any other pending case or misleading information. The state found fault with the April 29 order passed by a bench headed by then Chief Justice of India (CJI) Saniv Khanna for not mentioning the exact provision of the offence with which Aftab was charged. While the order mentioned sections 3 and 5 of the Act, jail authorities insisted that their records showed Section 5(1) and refused to act upon the order for the absence of sub-clause 1. Aftab had approached the court through his lawyer, Abhishek Singh, seeking clarification and modification of the April 29 bail order to include the correct subsection. The April 29 order categorically noted the case details, the FIR number and the police station which recording the fact that the crime registered at Wave City, Ghaziabad police station on January 3, 2024 was a marriage where the petitioner, Aftab married a Hindu girl as per Hindu rites at the Arya Samaj Mandir. A day later, a criminal case was registered on a complaint by the girl's aunt who alleged her niece was kidnapped. Police arrested Aftab on January 10, 2024. The order had said, 'We are of the opinion that the appellant, Aftab, has made out a case for grant of bail. Accordingly, we accept the present appeal and direct that the appellant, Aftab, shall be released on bail during the pendency of the trial.' The family deposited a personal bond of ₹ 1.5 lakh and two sureties as required by the trial court, but prison authorities insisted the documentation was inconsistent as the order did not match the charges listed in their jail records, which specified Section 5(1).
Scroll.in
14 hours ago
- Politics
- Scroll.in
‘Travesty of justice': SC summons UP jailer for not releasing man two months after bail
The Supreme Court on Tuesday said it was a ' travesty of justice ' that a man it had granted bail to in April in a case under Uttar Pradesh's anti-conversion law was not released from the Ghaziabad district jail yet, reported Live Law. A bench of Justices KV Viswanathan and N Kotiswar Singh directed the superintendent jailor of the prison to appear before the court on Wednesday. The Uttar Pradesh Director General of Prisons was also directed to appear via video conferencing. This came after the prisoner alleged that he had not been released because a sub-section of the provision under which he was booked was not mentioned in the bail order, PTI reported. The man was booked under sections of the Indian Penal Code pertaining to kidnapping, abducting or compelling a woman to marry against her will, in addition to sections of the 2021 Uttar Pradesh Prohibition of Unlawful Conversion of Religion Act. The court said something 'something fishy' was underway and called the development 'ridiculous', proposing contempt action against jail authorities if the petitioner's allegations were found to be true, Live Law reported. The bench highlighted that the 'concerned sections are clearly mentioned' in the top court's April 29 order, The Indian Express reported. 'This calls for a serious inquiry,' it added. At the same time, the court warned the petitioner that action would be taken against him if it is found that his statement is not correct, 'or that you are detained for due to some other case'. 'But if we find that this sub-clause was the reason, we will initiate contempt proceedings because it's a matter of liberty,' said the bench. 'Do not take this court for granted!'
NDTV
16 hours ago
- NDTV
"Travesty Of Justice": Top Court Summons UP Jailor For Not Releasing Man Despite Bail
The Supreme Court on Tuesday said it was a "travesty of justice" that a man it granted bail to in April in a case under UP's anti-conversion law had not yet been released from jail. A bench of Justices K V Viswanathan and N Kotiswar Singh took strong exception after the man claimed that he was not released on bail on the ground that a sub-section of a provision of Uttar Pradesh Prohibition of Unlawful Conversion of Religion Act, 2021 was not mentioned in the bail order. The bench, therefore, directed the superintendent jailor of the district jail Ghaziabad to appear physically present before it on June 25. Observing that this case presented a "very unfortunate scenario", the bench further directed the Director General of Prisons of Uttar Pradesh to appear through video-conferencing. The bench noted after the top court granted bail to the man on April 29, a trial court in Ghaziabad on May 27 issued a release order to the superintendent jailor to release the accused from custody upon execution of the personal bond, unless liable to be detained in some other matter. "After this order was made, it is stated by the petitioner that he has been unable to secure his liberty because in the order of the (Allahabad) High Court and this court, clause (1) of section 5 of the Uttar Pradesh Prohibition of Unlawful Conversion of Religion Act, 2021 was omitted and because of that, the petitioner could not be released," the bench noted. The top court called it April 29 order "categoric" and said the appellant should be released on bail during the pendency of trial in the FIR of January 3, 2024 registered with a police station at Ghaziabad, on conditions set by the trial court. The man was booked under Section 366 (kidnapping, abducting or inducing woman to compel her marriage etc) of the erstwhile IP and Sections 3 and 5 (Prohibition of conversion from one religion to another religion by misrepresentation, force, fraud, undue influence, coercion, allurement) of the 2021 Act. The top court observed the petitioner has now sought a modification of the April 29 order to specifically include Clause (1) of Section 5 of the 2021 Act. "As stated earlier, in the order of April 29, 2025, the sections concerned are clearly mentioned. It is a travesty of justice that on the ground that the sub-section was not mentioned, the petitioner... is till date kept behind bars. This call for a serious inquiry," the bench said. The bench, however, cautioned the petitioner's counsel against making any incorrect statement. "We are again telling you, if we find that this statement is not correct or that you are detained due to some other case, serious action will be taken. But if we find that this sub-clause was the reason, we will initiate contempt proceedings because it is a matter of liberty," the bench said. The top court continued, "Don't take this court for granted." The matter would be heard on June 25.
Indian Express
4 days ago
- Indian Express
Allegations of ‘religious conversion' against pastor, co-accused yet to be proved: Ghaziabad police
Nearly a week after the Ghaziabad police arrested a pastor and another man for allegedly attempting to convert members of the Scheduled Caste (SC) to Christianity by offering them inducements, the police Saturday said they were 'yet to find anyone to confirm the allegations'. The two accused, Pastor Vinod Kunjumon, 50, and Premchand Jatav, 66, were arrested on Sunday following a complaint by Bajrang Dal member Prabal Gupta. Preeti Garg, Station House Officer, Crossings Republik Police Station, said, 'We do not have anyone to confirm the allegations. We are also looking into what kind of inducements were being used for conversion. If it was just monetary or promising them of curing ailments.' According to the police, Pastor Kunjumon, who hails from Kerala and is currently a resident of Sahibabad, told them during the interrogation that he had only been conducting prayers at the house of another accused, Premchand Jatav, a resident of Rahul Vihar in Ghaziabad. The complainant, Prabal Gupta, a resident of Krishna Nagar Bagu in Ghaziabad, has alleged that Bajrang Dal workers informed him that Kunjumon and Jatav were converting people belonging to the SC category. 'When I reached Premchand's house with my workers, I saw them conducting a program for conversion. When my workers and I protested, they abused, threatened, and assaulted us,' he alleged in the FIR. Following the complaint, the police registered a First Information Report under Sections 115(2) (voluntarily causing hurt), 351(3) (threats involving death), 352 (breach of peace) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and a section of the Uttar Pradesh Prohibition of Unlawful Conversion of Religion Act, 2021. Neetika Jha is a Correspondent with The Indian Express. She covers crime, health, environment as well as stories of human interest, in Noida, Ghaziabad and western UP. When not on the field she is probably working on another story idea. On weekends, she loves to read fiction over a cup of coffee. The Thursday Murder club, Yellow Face and Before the Coffee Gets Cold were her recent favourites. She loves her garden as much as she loves her job. She is an alumnus of Asian College of Journalism, Chennai. ... Read More
The Hindu
02-05-2025
- Business
- The Hindu
Top news of the day: May 2, 2025
PM Modi lays foundation, inaugurates projects worth ₹58,000 crore in Amaravati, dedicates Vizhinjam international seaport to the nation PM Modi embarked on a landmark visit to Andhra Pradesh on Friday (May 2, 2025), marking a historic moment in the State's development. He laid the foundation stone of and inaugurated multiple development projects worth over ₹58,000 crore in Amaravati. Earlier in the day, Mr. Modi officially commissioned the Vizhinjam International Seaport in Kerala, which was completed at an estimated cost of ₹8,867 crore. Supreme Court protects family facing deportation to Pakistan, asks authorities to verify documents The Supreme Court on Friday (May 2, 2025) asked authorities to not take coercive action such as deportation to Pakistan against six members of a family, who allegedly overstayed their visa, till an order on verification of their identity documents. SEBI accuses Pranav Adani in insider trading case, he seeks to settle The Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) has alleged Pranav Adani, director of several Adani group companies and the nephew of founder Gautam Adani, shared price-sensitive information and breached regulations aimed at preventing insider trading. U.S. Vice-President Vance says trade deal soon with India, calls PM Modi 'tough negotiator' U.S. Vice-President J.D. Vance has called Prime Minister Narendra Modi a 'tough negotiator' and accused New Delhi of taking advantage of America, while predicting that India could be among the first countries to strike a trade deal to avert reciprocal tariffs. Punjab parties united on issue of water sharing with Haryana Amid escalating tensions between Punjab and Haryana over the sharing of water, an all-party meeting called by the Aam Aadmi Party government in Punjab on Friday (May 2, 2025) saw parties putting up a united stand on the issue. Supreme Court agrees to hear PIL against amended U.P. law on religious conversion The Supreme Court on Friday (May 2, 2025) agreed to consider a plea challenging the constitutional validity of the 2024 amended Uttar Pradesh law on 'unlawful religious conversion'. A Bench of Chief Justice Sanjiv Khanna and Justices Sanjay Kumar and K.V. Viswanathan took note of the submissions of senior lawyer S Muralidhar who said certain provisions of the Uttar Pradesh Prohibition of Unlawful Conversion of Religion Act, as amended in 2024, were 'vague and overly broad' and the ambiguity infringed upon free speech and religious propagation. Deeply saddened: MEA on death of Nepalese student at Odisha's KIIT The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on Friday (May 2, 2025) said it is 'deeply saddened' over the death of a Nepalese student of the KIIT University in Bhubaneswar. The Ministry said it has been in constant touch with the Odisha government since it knew about the 'tragic incident'. Top U.N. court wraps week of hearings on humanitarian aid to Gaza The top United Nations court on Friday (May 2, 2025) wraps a week of hearings on what Israel must do to ensure desperately needed humanitarian aid reaches Palestinians in Gaza and the occupied West Bank. Last year, the U.N. General Assembly asked the International Court of Justice (ICJ) to give an advisory opinion on Israel's legal obligations after the country effectively banned the U.N. agency for Palestinian refugees, the main provider of aid to Gaza, from operating. Pakistan to allow stranded citizens in India return via Wagah border after visa revocations Pakistan announced on Friday (May 2, 2025) that it would continue to allow the use of the Wagah border crossing for its citizens stranded in India, following New Delhi's decision to revoke visas in the aftermath of the Pahalgam terror incident. Alternative for Germany is listed as a 'right-wing extremist' party by domestic intelligence agency The German domestic intelligence service said Friday (May 2, 2025) it has classified the Alternative for Germany party, which placed second in national elections in February, as a 'right-wing extremist effort' — making it subject to greater and broader surveillance of its activities.
