Allahabad HC Observes Non-Veg Waste In Ganga Could Trigger Public Hurt

The Allahabad High Court has granted bail to five people accused of throwing non-vegetarian food waste into the Ganga during an iftar gathering on a boat in Varanasi, noting that such acts could hurt the religious sentiments of the Hindu community. The court recorded that the accused and their families expressed regret and accepted that their conduct had caused broader social distress.

Justice Rajiv Lochan Shukla passed the bail order on 15 May, allowing the release of applicants Mohammad Azad Ali, Mohammad Tahseem, Nihal Afridi, Mohammad Tauseef Ahmad and Mohammad Anas. The court stressed their apology, the period already spent in custody, and the absence of criminal history while assessing the Allahabad High Court bail case arising from the incident.

Allahabad High Court bail case: observations on religious sentiments and Ganga

According to the order, the case concerns members of the Muslim community who held an iftar party on a boat in the Ganga. The court recorded that non-vegetarian food was consumed and that leftovers were allegedly thrown into the river. It observed that, “This fact in the dispassionate opinion of the Court could rightly be said to hurt religious sentiments of the Hindu community.”

The applicants had been in jail since 17 March 2026 in connection with the Allahabad High Court bail case. The order notes that they conveyed remorse and pledged not to engage in such behaviour again. The court said, “The applicants are apologetic for their actions and even their families also regret the pain that had been caused to the society at large.”

Allahabad High Court bail case: legal grounds and earlier denial of bail

Justice Rajiv Lochan Shukla held that, given the full background of the Allahabad High Court bail case, their clean record, custody period and apology, “prima facie a case for bail is made out.” This followed an earlier decision on 1 April by a Varanasi sessions court, which had rejected bail, stating that the accused appeared to intend to disturb social harmony.

The FIR was registered on 16 March based on a complaint by Rajat Jaiswal, president of the Varanasi unit of the BJP Yuva Morcha. The complaint alleged that the accused broke their Ramzan fast on 15 March on a boat in the Ganga, ate meat and then threw the leftovers into the river. They were booked under several provisions, including sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita relating to defiling places of worship and outraging religious feelings, within the broader Allahabad High Court bail case.

Allahabad High Court bail case: other accused and ongoing proceedings

In the same matter, Justice Jitendra Kumar Sinha of the Allahabad High Court also granted bail on 15 May to three more accused: Mohammad Sameer, Mohammad Ahmad Raza and Mohammad Faizan. With these orders, all eight people named in the Allahabad High Court bail case have secured bail, while the criminal proceedings based on the March incident in Varanasi continue before the trial court.