Throwing non-veg food in Ganga could hurt religious sentiments (Img: Internet)
Lucknow: The Allahabad High Court has granted bail to eight men arrested in connection with the Varanasi Ganga iftar controversy, where a group was accused of consuming non-vegetarian food on a boat and allegedly throwing leftovers into the river during Ramzan earlier this year.
The court passed the orders in two separate hearings on Friday. Justice Rajiv Lochan Shukla granted bail to five accused, while Justice Jitendra Kumar Sinha allowed bail to three others involved in the case.
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While granting relief, the High Court observed that actions affecting religious sentiments could potentially disturb communal harmony.
In his order, Justice Shukla noted that disruption caused by the acts of a few individuals could lead to larger tensions in society. The court also referred to the growing role of social media in rapidly spreading information and misinformation capable of escalating sensitive situations.
At the same time, the court clarified that bail decisions must be based on the specific facts of a case while keeping broader social concerns in mind. The order further mentioned that the accused and their family members had expressed regret over the distress caused to society due to the incident.
The case dates back to March 15, when a group of men reportedly organised an iftar gathering on a boat in the Ganga river in Varanasi. A complaint was later filed by Rajat Jaiswal, president of the BJP Yuva Morcha’s Varanasi unit.
The complainant alleged that the group consumed meat during the gathering and disposed of leftover food into the river, hurting Hindu religious sentiments associated with the Ganga.
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Based on the complaint, police registered a case under various sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita related to outraging religious feelings and defiling a place of worship.
Earlier, a sessions court in Varanasi had denied bail to the accused, observing that the incident appeared capable of disturbing social harmony.
Counsel representing the accused argued before the High Court that the men had been falsely implicated and that several of them were not even named in the original FIR. The High Court is expected to hear bail pleas of some remaining accused in the matter on May 18.
