A special court of the National Investigation Agency in Lucknow has refused to grant relief to the main accused, Jalaluddin aka Chhangur Baba and others in the illegal conversion case. The court has rejected their discharge pleas and framed charges under several serious sections, including treason, fraud and rape. With this, the case has now moved into the trial stage.
The order was passed by Special Judge Neetu Pathak (Court No. 3) after hearing arguments for nearly six hours. The court said the accusations appear serious at this stage and there are sufficient grounds to proceed with the trial. The outcome will now depend on the witnesses and evidence presented in court in the coming days.
Serious charges against Jalaluddin, aka Chhangur Baba
According to the prosecution, Jalaluddin, aka Chhangur Baba and his associates are facing charges of conspiracy against the government and waging war against the nation, which falls under Section 121A of the IPC. They have also been booked under Section 153A for promoting enmity between communities, making objectionable remarks against Hinduism and encouraging people to convert to Islam.
Investigators say the group worked in a planned way and operated like an organised network. The case also includes serious charges under IPC 376D related to gang rape of a Scheduled Caste woman, along with provisions of the SC/ST Act, making the matter even more grave.
Love trap, fake identity and funding trail
The investigation has found that some Hindu women were drawn into relationships using fake names and then pressured to convert to Islam. The network is said to have used Hindu identities to gain trust and carry out its activities.
In addition, two accused, Jamaluddin (Naveen Rohra) and Nasreen (Neetu Rohra), are accused of using Hindu identities in documents even after changing their names. Police say this was done to buy and sell land, which has led to fraud charges under IPC 420.
The investigation, carried out by the Uttar Pradesh Anti-Terrorism Squad, also revealed a large funding trail. Officials said more than Rs 100 crore was received from Gulf countries, which is now under scrutiny.
The ATS had earlier arrested the main accused from Balrampur, after which the case gained attention. With charges now framed against all accused, the court proceedings will continue as the trial moves forward.
