Allahabad High Court Grants Bail to Eight in Varanasi Ganga-Iftar Case—Says Food Dumping “Hurt Religious Sentiments”

Key Points

Allahabad High Court on 15 May 2026 granted bail to eight Muslim men from Varanasi arrested in connection with the Ganga-iftar case in March 2026. The men were accused of consuming non-vegetarian food on a boat in the river and allegedly throwing leftovers into the Ganga. While pronouncing the bail order, the court opined that this act “hurt religious sentiments of the Hindu community.”

Justice Rajiv Lochan Shukla granted bail to five accused, while Justice Jitendra Kumar Sinha allowed the pleas of three others. With this, eight of the 14 accused in the case have secured bail. Those granted bail include Mohammad Azad Ali, Mohammad Tahseem, Nihal Afridi, Mohammad Tauseef Ahmad, Mohammad Anas, Mohammad Sameer, Mohammad Ahmad Raza and Mohammad Faizan.

During the hearing, the state government argued that the alleged acts had disturbed communal harmony and hurt public sentiment because the Ganga is revered as sacred by Hindus. The prosecution also raised concerns about the role of social media in spreading the viral videos.

The defence argued that the accused were innocent, had been falsely implicated and had no intention of hurting religious sentiments. Lawyers for the accused also submitted that the men were poor weavers by profession.

“The applicants are apologetic for their actions and even their families also regret the pain that had been caused to the society at large,” the court said.

The court stressed that the accused had undertaken not to repeat such acts in future and had acknowledged their presence in the viral videos instead of denying involvement. It also took note of the fact that the accused had no criminal antecedents and had already spent nearly two months in jail.

At the same time, the court expressed doubts over the extortion allegations added during the investigation, after the boat operator alleged that the accused had forcibly taken control of the motorboat. Justice Shukla observed that the delay by boatman Anil Sahni in coming forward created suspicion.

The remaining bail pleas in the case are scheduled to be heard separately.

See Also: Muslim Men Rearrested in UP’s Shravasti for Iftar Gathering Near Ashram Under Pressure from BJP Youth Leader

Ganga-Iftar Case

In March 2026, videos showing the group holding an iftar gathering on a boat in the Ganga river in Varanasi went viral on social media. An FIR was lodged on 16 March 2026 based on a complaint filed by Rajat Jaiswal, president of the Varanasi unit of the BJP Yuva Morcha.

The complaint alleged that the accused consumed chicken biryani while breaking their Ramzan fast on the boat and later threw leftovers and bones into the river, hurting Hindu religious sentiments.

The accused were arrested on 17 March 2026 and booked under multiple sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, including provisions related to promoting enmity, public nuisance, fouling water sources, defiling a place of worship and outraging religious feelings. Police later added extortion charges and provisions under the Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1974.

A sessions court in Varanasi had earlier denied bail on 1 April 2026, observing that the accused appeared to have intended to disturb social harmony.

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