Varanasi Court Denies Bail to 14 Men Arrested for Iftar Party on Ganga Boat

Court Decision on Iftar Party Arrests

A court in Varanasi has refused bail to 14 individuals who were detained for hosting an iftar gathering on a boat in the Ganga River, where they reportedly consumed chicken biryani.

According to Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate Amit Kumar Yadav, the charges against the accused are serious and non-bailable.

The judge stated, “Considering the circumstances surrounding the case, there are insufficient grounds to grant bail to the defendants.”

The individuals denied bail include Azad Ali, Aamir Kaiki, Danish Saifi, Mohd Ahmad, Nehal Afridi, Mahfooz Alam, Mohd Anas, Mohd Awwal, Mohd Tahseem, Mohd Ahmad alias Raja, Mohd Noor Ismail, Mohd Tausif Ahmad, Mohd Faizan, and Mohd Sameer.

They were taken into custody after a video of their boat party circulated widely on social media on March 16.

The men are facing multiple charges under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, including defiling a place of worship with the intent to insult a religion, and acts intended to outrage religious feelings.

Additional charges include public nuisance, fouling a public water source, disobeying a public servant's order, and violations of the Water Prevention and Control of Pollution Act.

Furthermore, police have added extortion charges after the boat owners claimed the men took the vessel by force.

Charges under the Information Technology Act, which addresses the publication of obscene material electronically, have also been applied.