Hyderabad: A court in Varanasi on Monday, March 23, denied bail to 14 Muslim men accused of holding an Iftar gathering on a boat on the Ganga River, ruling that the case involved a non-bailable offence, Siasat reported.
“The crimes committed by the accused were of a serious nature and non-bailable. Therefore, keeping in view the facts and circumstances of the case, there are no sufficient grounds to grant bail to the accused,” the court order read.
Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate Amit Kumar Yadav rejected the bail pleas after police invoked Section 308(5) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), which pertains to extortion under threat of death or grievous hurt. The section was added to the FIR following allegations by boat owners that the accused had forcibly taken their vessel.
The case stems from videos circulated on social media on March 15, which purportedly showed the men breaking their Ramzan fast with chicken on the boat and allegedly throwing leftovers into the river, sparking outrage and prompting police action.
An FIR was initially filed under multiple sections of the BNS, including provisions related to defiling a place of worship, outraging religious sentiments, promoting enmity, public nuisance, and water pollution, along with Section 24 of the Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1974. These offences are largely bailable.
The accused—identified as Azad Ali, Aamir Kaiki, Danish Saifi, Mohammed Ahmad, Nehal Afridi, Mahfooz Alam, Mohammed Anas, Mohammed Awwal, Mohammed Tahseem, Mohammed Ahmad alias Raja, Mohammed Noor Ismail, Mohammed Tausif Ahmad, Mohd Faizan, and Mohammed Sameer—were remanded to 14 days of judicial custody on March 19.
The addition of the extortion charge has significantly escalated the legal gravity of the case.