On September 10, the Lucknow NIA/ATS special court sentenced Maulana Kaleem Siddiqui and 12 others to life imprisonment, while 4 other accused received 10-year prison terms in a high-profile religious conversion case. Special Judge Vivekanand Sharan Tripathi delivered the verdict, marking a significant development in a case that has attracted considerable media attention.
Maulana Kaleem Siddiqui, head of Shah Waliullah Trust Muzaffarnagar and chairman of Global Peace Foundation, was arrested in September 2021 along with three associates. They were accused of operating a network facilitating mass conversions to Islam. The Uttar Pradesh ATS investigation revealed that Siddiqui’s activities were funded by foreign sources, with allegations that over 57 crore rupees were channeled from trusts based in the UK and Gulf countries.
The Lucknow Sessions Court convicted the accused under several sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), including Sections 417 (cheating), 120B (criminal conspiracy), 153B (imputations prejudicial to national integration), 295A (deliberate and malicious acts intended to outrage religious feelings), 121A (conspiracy to wage war), and 123. They were also convicted under Sections 3, 4, and 5 of the Uttar Pradesh Prohibition of Unlawful Conversion of Religion Act.
Maulana Umar Gautam was also a key figure in the case. He led the Islamic Dawah Center, which was implicated in the alleged conversion racket.
Interestingly, despite the high-profile nature of the case and the serious allegations, no individual has lodged a personal complaint of forced conversion against Maulana Siddiqui. This notable detail adds another layer of complexity to the case.
