Allahabad High Court grants bail to 8 men in Ganga iftar case

The Allahabad High Court has granted bail to eight Muslim men arrested for holding an Iftar gathering on a boat in the Ganga river in Varanasi, an incident that had sparked allegations of hurting religious sentiments. The court, while granting bail, observed that throwing non-vegetarian food waste into the river could hurt the religious sentiments of the Hindu community.

The accused were arrested on March 17 following a complaint filed by Rajat Jaiswal, the president of the Varanasi chapter of the Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha. The complaint alleged that on March 15, a group of 14 men broke their Ramzan fast on a boat, consumed chicken biryani, and threw the leftover food into the Ganga. Jaiswal described the act as objectionable and claimed it had hurt religious sentiments.

Police registered a case under various sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, including charges related to defiling a place of worship, promoting enmity between groups, outraging religious feelings, and public nuisance. Provisions of the Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1974, were also invoked. Later, more serious charges, including extortion under threat of death, were added after boat...