UP court hands Muslim man life term citing ‘love jihad’ despite complainant retracting claim
The man was not booked under the Uttar Pradesh Prohibition of Unlawful Conversion of Religion Act, 2020, usually governs cases dubbed as ‘love jihad’.
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A district court in Uttar Pradesh’s Bareilly on Monday sentenced a 26-year-old Muslim man to life imprisonment and fined him Rs 1 lakh for sexually assaulting a 23-year-old Hindu woman, despite the woman admitting that she had filed the case under pressure from Hindutva groups and her parents.
Judge Ravi Kumar Diwakar cited the case as an example of “love jihad” even though the man was not booked under the Uttar Pradesh Prohibition of Unlawful Conversion of Religion Act, 2020. The law usually governs cases dubbed as “love jihad” in the state.
“Love jihad” is a conspiracy theory that accuses Muslim men of being part of an organised plot to trick unsuspecting Hindu women into romantic relationships to ultimately convert them to Islam.
The Union Home Ministry has told Parliament that Indian law has no provision defining such a term.
The woman had lodged a case against the man in 2023 but retracted her allegations during the trial.
“People from Hindu organisation came to her house and pressured her parents, saying that this is a Muslim boy and your daughter cannot go to his house,” read the judgement, paraphrasing the woman’s statement during cross-examination. “This case was filed only under pressure from Hindu organisations and the parents.”
Diwakar, however, refused to believe the woman...
