Allahabad High Court Grants Bail To 2 Men Accused Of Forcibly Reciting 'Hanuman Chalisa' Near Meerut Mosque

The Allahabad High Court on Tuesday granted bail to two men, including a leader of Akhil Bhartiya Hindu Suraksha Samiti, who were held in March this year for forcibly reciting 'Hanuman Chalisa' near a mosque in UP's Meerut. A bench of Justice Raj Beer Singh granted bail to Sachin Sirohi and Sanjay Samarval who have been booked by the Meerut police under Sections 191(2) [Rioting], 196 [Promoting enmity between different groups and doing acts prejudicial to maintenance of harmony], 197 [Imputations, assertions prejudicial to national integration] BNS. As per the case of the prosecution, the accused, along with their associates, protested outside a mosque, raised anti-religious slogans and thereafter, recited Hanuman Chalisa near the mosque, thereby promoting enmity and hatred on the ground of religion. They have also been accused of threatening to demolish the mosque, due to which, chaos prevailed in the area tension arose among the people going towards the railway station. Seeking bail in the case, the counsel for the accused submitted that the allegations levelled against the applicants were wholly false and claimed that they had been implicated in the matter for political reasons. It was also argued that the contents of the FIR and statements of witnesses do not give out any credible evidence against the applicants, and thus, it was prayed that they be granted bail. On the other hand, the AGA opposed their bail plea, arguing that in order to disturb harmony, applicants indulged in reciting 'Hanuman Chalisa' at a religious place and thereby promoted enmity on the basis of religion. The bench, however, found it a fit case to grant bail as it observed that the seriousness of the allegation or the availability of material in support thereof are not the only considerations for declining bail. “It is well settled that at pre-conviction stage, there is presumption of innocence. The object of keeping a person in custody is to ensure his availability to face the trial and to receive the sentence that may be passed. The detention is not supposed to be punitive or preventive,” the bench remarked as it granted them bail. Case title - Sachin Sirohi And Another vs. State of U.P. 2025 LiveLaw (AB) 208 Case citation: 2025 LiveLaw (AB) 208 Click Here To Read/Download Order

Allahabad High Court Grants Bail To 2 Men Accused Of Forcibly Reciting 'Hanuman Chalisa' Near Meerut Mosque

Sparsh Upadhyay

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