SC asks UP govt to specify role attributed to cleric Maulana Kaleem Siddiqui in mass conversion case

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Tuesday asked the Uttar Pradesh government to clearly specify the role attributed to cleric Maulana Kaleem Siddiqui who was arrested by the state anti-terrorist squad (ATS) over charges of running a mass religious conversion racket.

A bench comprising Justices Aniruddha Bose and Sanjay Kumar was hearing the plea filed by the state police challenging the order of the Allahabad High Court which had granted bail to Siddiqui on the grounds of parity as one of the co-accused was granted bail by the Supreme Court.

The bench asked Additional Advocate General Garima Prashad to file a tabular statement by September 5, the next date of listing.

On April 5, a division bench of Justices Attaur Rahman Masoodi and Saroj Yadav of the High Court directed Siddiqui’s release on bail, who was arrested from Meerut on charges of converting over 100 people.

The state ATS had claimed that he ran the biggest conversion syndicate across the country and donations through ‘hawala’ in a trust operated by him, were also stated to have been recovered.

–IANS