Allahabad HC rejects Tauqeer Raza’s bail plea in Bareilly violence case

The Allahabad High Court has rejected the bail application of Ittehad-e-Millat Council founder Maulana Tauqeer Raza, who is in jail in connection with the 2025 Bareilly violence.

In an order passed on Monday, Justice Ashutosh Srivastava observed that a slogan raised by Raza in a speech after the violence amounted to a challenge to the authority of law and the sovereignty and integrity of India.

The court also noted that although the charge sheet was filed on December 21, 2025, charges against Raza have not yet been framed. It said bail could not be granted at this stage.

Raza has been in jail since October 13, 2025, in connection with the violence that broke out during a rally in Bareilly in September 2025.

According to the police complaint, Raza had called on members of the Muslim community to gather at Islamiya Inter College after Friday prayers on September 26, 2025. The gathering was planned to protest against authorities denying permission for a rally supporting the 'I Love Mohammed' campaign.

Prohibitory orders had been imposed under Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS). Despite this, a large crowd allegedly marched from Maulana Azad Inter College towards Shyamganj Chauraha while carrying placards and raising provocative slogans.

Police personnel attempted to stop the rally, following which the crowd allegedly turned violent.

The court said the records showed that Raza had sought to advance his religious and private political interests by using the occasion of Friday prayers to mobilise people at the Islamia Inter College grounds.

The bench said the call for such a large gathering was made without permission from the local administration. It also rejected the argument that the gathering had been cancelled after permission was denied and Section 163 was imposed.

The court observed that members of the Muslim community nevertheless marched towards the Islamia grounds and that, when stopped by police personnel performing their law-and-order duties, the crowd allegedly manhandled them and engaged in rioting and destruction of public property.

The bench also said Raza's conduct after the incident, including a speech thanking people for responding to his call in large numbers and applauding their actions, could not be approved.

The court agreed with Additional Advocate General Anoop Trivedi's submission that the slogan "Gushtakh-e-Nabi ke ek hi saja, sar tan se juda, sar tan se juda" was a challenge to the authority of law as well as the sovereignty and integrity of India.

The court also agreed that the slogan could not be equated with slogans such as "Nara-e-Takbir, Allahu Akbar", "Jo Bole So Nihal Sat Sri Akal", "Jai Shri Ram" or "Har Har Mahadev", which it described as expressions of respect towards the concerned God or Guru.  (with inputs from PTI)