Muslim man fakes identity to marry Hindu women; life imprisoned
A 25-year-old man from Bareilly, Uttar Pradesh, has been sentenced to life imprisonment for allegedly coercing a 20-year-old woman into converting to Islam and marrying her under false pretenses. This case marks the first instance of a life sentence being handed down under the recently enacted Unlawful Conversion of Religion (Amendment) Act in Uttar Pradesh. In addition to the life sentence for the accused, his father has been sentenced to two years in jail and fined ₹1 lakh.
Accused's father also penalized, victim recounts ordeal
The victim stated that she met the accused at a computer coaching institute where he introduced himself as Anand Kumar and even wore a red thread on his right hand, typically associated with Hindu men. Their relationship began in 2023 after she developed a rapport with him. She further said that he took her to a hotel in Bareilly and forced her to be intimate with him while filming the deed on his phone.
Victim's allegations and retraction during trial
She stated in her statement that he later took her to a temple, where he applied sindoor to her forehead and they got married. "I even convinced myself to live with him despite the sad revelation but his family members put pressure on me to go for conversion before having a legal marriage as per Islamic traditions," she said. The woman also forced her to have an abortion after they married, Additional District Government Counsel (Crime) Digamber Patel said.
Judge cites 'love jihad,' upholds unlawful conversion law
Judge Ravi Kumar Diwakar observed that this was a case of "love jihad" and that such instances are done with the "malicious intent of weakening the country on the pattern of such cases in Bangladesh and Pakistan." He has forwarded copies of the verdict to state police chief, Chief Secretary, and Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP), Bareilly for their action. The judge also declared the marriage in a temple as "null and void."
