Lucknow: In a case that has sparked allegations of Islamophobia, a court in India has sentenced 13 Muslim personalities, including well-known Islamic scholars Maulana Kaleem Siddiqui and Umar Gautam, to life imprisonment. The decision was handed down by a special National Investigation Agency court in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, based on charges related to a religious conversion case from 2021.

According to Kashmir Media Service, the verdict was issued under Indian Penal Code section 121A, which involves conspiracy against the state. The court’s decision has been met with significant controversy and criticism, particularly from those close to the convicted individuals, who have called the charges “fake” and “ridiculous”. The accusations leveled against the group included cheating, criminal conspiracy, and promoting enmity between different groups.

In addition to the life sentences, the court also handed down 10-year sentences to 16 other individuals under the Uttar Pradesh Unlawful Religious Conversion (Prohibition) Act 2021, each accompanied by a fine of Rs 10,000.

Critics of the verdict, including acquaintances of Maulana Kaleem Siddiqui and Umar Gautam, have denounced the charges as baseless and a clear manifestation of Islamophobia in current-day India under Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s administration.