Lucknow: In a controversial judgment, a Hindu judge sentenced Mohammad Aalim, a Muslim man, to life imprisonment under the contentious “love jihad” theory in Uttar Pradesh, a state governed by the BJP.

According to Kashmir Media Service, the term “love jihad” is typically used to claim that Muslim men seduce Hindu women to convert them to Islam. Judge Ravi Kumar Diwakar handed down a 42-page ruling on the issue, although the woman in the case later withdrew her statement. Notably, Aalim was not prosecuted under Uttar Pradesh’s specific anti-unlawful conversion law, which has fueled concerns regarding the motives of the judgment.

The trial included statements from the woman, who indicated she was pressured by members of Hindu organizations. These members had informed her parents that her relationship with a Muslim man was not appropriate. Despite her retraction, Judge Diwakar was doubtful, insisting that her initial claim—that she was deceived into the marriage—was manipulated by Aalim himself. The case casts a light on the larger narrative of “love jihad,” commonly invoked to malign Muslims in mixed-faith relationships, fostering an environment of mistrust and fear.