New Delhi: The Allahabad High Court has observed that throwing non vegetarian food waste into the River Ganga could hurt the religious sentiments of the Hindu community while granting bail to eight accused in a case linked to an iftar gathering in Varanasi.
Justice Rajiv Lochan Shukla, while hearing the matter, noted that the accused and their families had expressed regret over the incident and apologised for the distress caused to society. The court said the applicants had no criminal background, had already spent considerable time in custody and had assured that such an act would not be repeated in future.
The order was passed on May 15 in connection with five accused identified as Mohammad Azad Ali, Mohammad Tahseem, Nihal Afridi, Mohammad Tauseef Ahmad and Mohammad Anas. In a separate but related order on the same day, Justice Jitendra Kumar Sinha granted bail to three others accused in the case.
According to the court proceedings, members of the Muslim community had organised an iftar party on a boat in the River Ganga in Varanasi. During the gathering, non vegetarian food was allegedly consumed and leftovers were reportedly thrown into the river.
The court observed that such actions could reasonably be viewed as offensive to Hindu religious beliefs because of the sacred status attached to the Ganga. At the same time, the court took into account the remorse shown by the accused while deciding the bail applications.
The accused had been in jail since March 17, 2026. The case was registered following a complaint filed by Rajat Jaiswal, president of the Varanasi unit of BJP Yuva Morcha, who alleged that the incident hurt Hindu sentiments and disturbed communal harmony.
Police booked the accused under various provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita related to outraging religious feelings and defiling a place of worship. Earlier, on April 1, a sessions court in Varanasi had rejected their bail plea, observing that the alleged act appeared capable of disturbing social harmony.
