The All India Lawyers’ Association for Justice (AILAJ) and certain sections of the media, such as Scroll, recently targeted Justice Ravi Kumar Diwakar of Bareilly court for his definition of ‘love jihad’ in the judgment of State of UP vs Mohammad Alim. AILAJ and Scroll attempted to undermine the importance of the Bareilly court’s ruling, downplaying the existence of ‘love jihad’. They labelled it a conspiracy theory or a political tool in their criticism of the judgment.
Open bigotry and prejudice of Judicial Officer Shri Ravi Kumar Diwakar again! The lifetime imprisonment order for 'love jihad' despite the contrary statement of the woman is communal, misogynous & paternalistic. Shri Ravi Kumar Diwakar is unfit to continue as a judicial officer pic.twitter.com/GjhLr2Blr0
— AILAJ_HQ (@AilajHq) October 5, 2024
However, the facts of this case, as well as many similar incidents, clearly demonstrate that ‘love jihad’ is not a figment of the imagination but a growing threat that demands immediate legal and social attention. While several states, including Uttar Pradesh, have introduced anti-conversion laws, these have not proven sufficient to stop members of the Muslim community from luring Hindu girls and taking advantage of them while posing as Hindus.
Love jihad is real: A systematic threat
Scroll claimed in its report that love jihad is a figment of the Hindutva imagination. The judgment in the Alim case, however, provides a clear example of how Muslim men are deceiving Hindu women under false pretences to convert them. According to the court judgment and the evidence presented during the trial, Alim introduced himself as “Anand”, a Hindu, with the aim of luring the victim into a relationship.
After gaining her trust, he manipulated her into a fake marriage in a temple and coerced her into a sexual relationship. He took objectionable videos and photographs of the victim and used them to force her into further sexual encounters. The deceit continued until she became pregnant and eventually discovered his true identity as a Muslim when she followed him to his house. On top of the shock of learning that “Anand” was, in fact, “Alim”, she faced pressure from his family to convert to Islam and was forced to abort the child.
This case is not an isolated incident. It follows a pattern of deceit and coercion, as seen in this and other cases across the country. In fact, OpIndia has documented hundreds, if not thousands, of such cases, with the numbers continuing to grow everyday. The modus operandi is similar in most cases, a Muslim youth pretends to be Hindu, some even make ID cards like Aadhaar with the fake name, trap Hindu women into relationships, and then force them into converting to Islam.
AILAJ’s criticism of the case, deeming it a “communal, misogynistic, and paternalistic” judgment, shows that the group has an ideological bias. They claimed that the court’s focus on love jihad was driven by right-wing politics. In doing so, they completely ignored the real-life evidence of systematic deception. Why? Simply because it does not fit a specific ideological narrative. Their actions are a grave disservice to the victims of love jihad.
The legal system has an obligation to address crimes based on facts and testimonies. In this case, there were multiple witnesses and a consistent timeline that firmly established that love jihad is more than just a conspiracy theory.
Evidence speaks for itself: Disproving false narratives
Critics of the judgment, including AILAJ and Scroll, argued that there was an absence of explicit photographic or video evidence presented in court. According to them, this weakened the case against Alim. AILAJ went so far as to accuse Judge Ravi Kumar Diwakar of bias due to his political leanings. They claimed that the judgment was influenced by personal prejudices, pointing to his previous remarks where he suggested that the head of state should be a religious figure.
However, the fact remains that Alim introduced himself as a Hindu, performed a fraudulent marriage in a Hindu temple, and later coerced the victim into sexual relations. All of this was done while hiding his true identity as a Muslim. There is simply no justification for his actions, nor for the actions of other Islamists who have been caught using similar tactics across the country. If their intentions were genuine, there would be no need to hide their identity or seek the conversion of Hindu girls to Islam.
Returning to the case, witness testimonies, especially from hotel staff who observed that the victim was always in a distressed state, corroborated her account of the ordeal. It was clear from the testimonies that the victim had been forced to visit hotel rooms with the accused on several occasions. The court also carefully examined the timeline of events presented by the victim and found physical evidence that further supported her claims.
The argument presented by critics, that Alim should have been acquitted due to a lack of direct photographic evidence, missed the point that rape and coercion cases often rely heavily on witness testimony and circumstantial evidence. If photographic evidence was mandatory for convictions in crimes against woman, most rape and molestation cases would go unpunished. AILAJ’s insistence that the judgment reflected a communal bias rather than a quest for justice for the victim was both misleading and irresponsible on the organisation’s part.
Legal framework: Addressing coercion and conversion
One of the strongest aspects of the judgment in Alim’s case is that the court recognised the broader societal implications of love jihad. The judge rightfully pointed out that incidents like Alim’s case disturbingly resemble the forced conversions that have been happening in Pakistan and Bangladesh, where religious conversions of Hindu girls have become a serious problem. The court bluntly warned that if such cases are not properly addressed in India, there may be a breakdown of secular values and social harmony.
AILAJ asserted that this judgment “throws fundamental principles of criminal jurisprudence to the wind”, which is flawed. The organisation criticised the court, claiming it disregarded the complainant’s retraction of her statement. However, the reality in such cases is that victims often face pressure or coercion to retract their statements due to external influences, which the court, in fact, rightly recognised. The court pointed out that the victim stopped appearing in court due to pressure from the accused’s side.
In fact, the Supreme Court of India, in many judgments including C. Muniappan & Ors vs State Of Tamil Nadu, stated, “It is settled legal proposition that the evidence of a prosecution witness cannot be rejected in toto merely because the prosecution chose to treat him as hostile and cross examine him. The evidence of such witnesses cannot be treated as effaced or washed off the record altogether but the same can be accepted to the extent that their version is found to be dependable on a careful scrutiny thereof.”
In May 2024, the apex court said in a judgment, “No doubt that the prosecutrix and her mother and aunt in their cross-examination, which was recorded three and a half months after the recording of the examination-in-chief, have turned around and not supported the prosecution case,” however, when the evidence of the victim, as well as other witnesses, was tested against the FIR, the statement recorded under Section 164 CrPC, and other evidence, there was sufficient corroboration to the version given by the woman in her examination-in-chief. In both cases, among many others, even after the witnesses or the victim turned hostile, the court used its discretion to punish the accused in accordance with the law.
AILAJ claimed that the judgment promoted a communal agenda, yet it failed to acknowledge that the legal foundation of the Uttar Pradesh Prohibition of Unlawful Religious Conversion Act, 2021, is designed for cases like this, where Hindu women are lured into relationships and marriages based on false identities. This law was enacted precisely to address the kind of exploitation seen in this case, and the court correctly noted that Alim’s actions should have invoked this Act. The failure to apply this law in this case is an oversight that must be corrected in future cases, not an excuse to dismiss the reality of love jihad.
Foreign funding and larger conspiracies: An ignored reality
The critics dismissed the judge’s concern about the possibility of foreign funding in such cases, claiming it was mere speculation. They labelled it part of a larger right-wing narrative. However, their refusal to even entertain the possibility is intellectually dishonest. The systematic targeting of women from vulnerable sections of society, especially non-Muslims, Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, and OBCs, clearly suggests that there is an organised network, potentially involving foreign funding. The court pointed out that such activities could not be random but are part of a broader effort to destabilise India’s secular and social fabric.
Instead of raising alarms over these possibilities, AILAJ, a group of advocates, continued to adhere to its ideological stance that ‘love jihad is fiction’. However, the facts and testimonies in this case, as well as in similar cases across India, paint a very different picture.
Societal implications: A crime against national unity
The critics have argued that the punishment given to Alim in this case was too severe. They, however, overlooked the societal damage such incidents cause. Love jihad is not merely about personal wrongdoing. It represents a larger attack on the unity and secularism of the country. By luring women into relationships under false pretences and pressuring them to convert, offenders are fuelling religious divisions and eroding the country’s secular foundation.
The court was absolutely correct in its stern observation that love jihad posed a serious threat to social harmony, stating, “The systematic targeting of women under the guise of love to fulfil larger demographic and religious goals is not only a crime against the individual but against the nation’s unity.”
Recent 10 cases of love jihad reported by OpIndia
While AILAJ and Scroll claimed love jihad is an imaginary phenomenon, OpIndia has been tirelessly documenting such cases. Here is a list of the ten most recent cases of love jihad as reported by OpIndia.
On 9th October, it was reported that a man identified as Sahil Khan posed as Raju Singh to trap Hindu girls. The incident took place in Kawadha district of Chhattisgarh. He even defrauded a woman of ₹3 lakh in exchange for releasing her husband from jail. Khan also obtained a fraudulent Aadhaar card with his fake name. The authorities arrested him from Jabalpur and registered a case against him under several sections, including love jihad and rape.
On 8th October, it was reported that a Muslim man, identified as Zubair, posed as Raj to befriend a Hindu girl. He threatened her when she ended the relationship after learning of his real identity. The incident took place in Navsari, Gujarat. Zubair was arrested by the authorities on the complaint of the victim.
On 30th September, a case of love jihad was reported from Harda district of Madhya Pradesh. On 27th September, a 19-year-old girl from a tribal community and her family members reached the police station and submitted a written complaint. She shared that a man named Shadab alias Salman, son of Munawwar, from Sehore district, deceived her in the name of love two years ago. She fell into his trap and was sexually exploited by him for two years. On 29th May, he came to her house when she was alone and declared that he would only marry her after she embraced Islam. Shadab vowed to make her his wife. On 23rd August, he again called her and had a physical relationship with her. Notably, he reiterated that she would have to become Muslim. He even threatened to kill her if she dared to tell anyone about it. However, she eventually confided in her family, after which they arrived at the police station and lodged a complaint.
On 30th September, another case of love jihad came to light from Dehradun, Uttarakhand. One Shahzad reportedly lured a 30-year-old divorced Hindu woman with two children by posing as Monu Choudhary. Her mother complained to the Raipur police station on 26th September and demanded action against the accused. The complaint revealed that the woman and her two daughters had been living at her parents’ home. During the lockdown, she met Shahzad, who is originally from Delhi. He introduced himself as Monu and trapped her in his love after talking to her for a few days. The woman insisted on marrying him even after his real identity was exposed.
Another case was reported from Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, where a Hindu woman lodged a police complaint at the Madeyganj police station. She shared that she met a man named Arshad at a friend’s birthday party one and a half years ago. The duo got introduced, which later turned into a friendship, and then a romantic relationship. Soon after, he started to force himself on her without her consent, according to the victim. She became pregnant twice as a result of the frequent sexual violations, but the accused made her abort the pregnancies on both occasions.
On 29th September, another case of love jihad was reported from Lucknow where ccused Salman, posing as Rakesh, trapped a Hindu woman in his love trap. The victim says that Salman first told his name as Rakesh and posed as a Hindu so that he could win the trust of the woman. After this deception, Salman married her and she came to know the truth of Salman only after they were already married. According to media reports, this case is from Indira Nagar area of Lucknow. The victim said that when she met Salman, he said his name is Rakesh and claimed to be a Hindu. They befriended each other and this friendship soon turned into love. Salman proposed marriage to the victim and also introduced her to his family. However, all this was part of a big deception, which was revealed when the victim came to know that Salman’s real name is not Rakesh, but Salman and he is a Muslim. According to the victim, Salman made her abort three times and every time assured her that they would get married soon. Once she came to know about Salman’s real religion and identity, she was unable to separate herself from this relationship. Salman tortured the victim mentally and physically. He also divorced her after their Nikaah and got her Halala done by a Maulana.
On 26th September, it was reported that a Muslim man was arrested in Assam for trapping a Hindu woman by hiding his identity and pretending to be a Hindu. The incident took place in Titabor town in Jorhat District, where accused Quran Ali was arrested after a complaint filed by the victim woman. As per reports, Quran Ali is from Fakirganj in South Salmara district and was working as a plumber in the Jal Jeevan Mission in Titabor town. But he introduced himself as Karan Singh. He arrived in Titabor in September last year to work. While residing there, he developed a relationship with a Hindu girl using his fake identity.
On 23rd September, love jihad has come to light from Agra, Uttar Pradesh, where a man named Fahad Hussain trapped a woman after concealing his identity, and later turned her life into a living hell. The victim stated in her statement that she befriended Fahad believing his name to be Deepak. The girl even embraced Islam and did Nikah with him, all in the name of love. However, her problems only escalated after marriage, and Fahad started to force her into prostitution. According to reports, the woman lodged a complaint against Fahad and his brother Aamir at the Sadar police station. The victim revealed that she met a young man who introduced himself as Deepak. A relationship developed between the two. However, after some time, she came to know that his real name is Fahad Hussain. Forced by the circumstances, she then married him and also changed her name, however, her life was further wrecked. She said that the accused pushed her into prostitution despite her opposition. He didn’t allow her to conceive a baby so that she could continue to be involved in the flesh trade. The cops have already started investigating the serious allegations.
On 22nd September, a case of love jihad came to light from Purnia district of Bihar. Here, 32-year-old Mohammad Ziarul, by changing his name, first trapped a Hindu girl in his trap and later married her. Ziarul introduced himself to the victim as Shankar Yadav. Ziarul had married 6 times before marrying the victim. There was also an attempt to convert the Hindu woman to Islam. After receiving the complaint on Wednesday (18th September, 2024), the police arrested the accused and sent him to jail.
On 10th September, an incident of ‘love jihad’ with a Nepali girl came to light from the Pilibhit district of Uttar Pradesh. A Hindu girl from Dhangarhi district of Nepal has accused Amjad Khan of changing his name to trap and marry her, and later harassing her. A total of 5 people, including Amjad, his mother, and brother have been named in the complaint. Changez Khan is also named in this FIR registered on Monday (September 9, 2024). Changez Khan is the same youth who had a dispute with the Indian ‘Bajrang Dal’ on the issue of molestation of a Hindu woman this month. This particular case is of the Puranpur police station area of Pilibhit district. Here, on September 9 (Monday), a Hindu woman from Dhangarhi of Nepal, has lodged a complaint with the police. In the complaint, the victim said that in the year 2013, she used to work in Dhangarhi of Nepal. At that time, Amjad of Pilibhit used to drive a taxi and often used to travel to Nepal by car. It was there that this Amjad met the victim for the first time and told her his name was Ajay. Amjad shared his mobile number with the victim and slowly trapped her in his web of love.
It is evident that 10 cases were reported in less than a month and there could be hundreds of others running in the background.
About AILAJ
All India Lawyers Association for Justice or AILAJ introduces itself with the typical jargon used by the left-liberal Islamist ecosystem, in the About page section of its website. It is only at the end of the section that it says “AILAJ is also concerned with the welfare of lawyers and law students.”
has made to headlines for opposing everything that is Hindu. The group has openly sympathised with Islamists like PFI and Maoists like Stan Swamy. In August 2023, they wrote to the Karnataka Bar Council seeking the cancellation of a talk by Supreme Court lawyer J Sai Deepak on the Uniform Civil Code. The letter by the AILAJ dated 26th August reads, “We are shocked to learn that the Karnataka State Bar Council is organising a talk titled, Uniform Civil Code: Pros and Cons with Advocate Sai Deepak slated to speak as the main speaker. The main speaker proposed for the event is known to be a staunch supporter of India being turned into a Hindu Rashtra, a proposition that runs afoul of our constitutional democracy.” The letter has been signed by about 30 lawyers.
The All India Lawyers Association for Justice has openly sympathised with the anti-Hindu Stan Swamy, a declared Maoist and PFI apologist who was charged with conspiring to instigate caste violence in Bhima Koregaon violence on 1st January 2018.
An article on Stan Swamy by AILAJ concludes by saying, “AILAJ pays tribute to Fr Stan Swamy by reiterating its resolve to fight for the repeal of UAPA and all draconian laws, and for the release of all human rights advocates and activists targeted and jailed by the present majoritarian Union government.”
The lawyer’s group has objected to the ban on Hijab inside school premises in Karnataka. In March last year, it had written to the Karnataka High Court asking it to revert the order upholding the then BJP government’s decision to ban the religious veil inside schools.
The group of lawyers, legal professionals and law students has also frequently raised its voice against Hindu activists and organisations, demanding action for talking against Islamist Jihadi terrorists.
The group has also made its support for the now-banned Islamic group PFI clear. During the raids on PFI before it was banned, AILAJ had claimed that it was a case of weaponising investigative agencies. The group had said that the raids were a conscious attempt to spread Islamophobia among the public and demonise Muslims as a community, and there was no evidence against PFI.
It had said, “We also believe this is a conscious attempt to spread Islamophobia among the public and demonise Muslims as a community, which is already reeling under an all-out attack by the RSS-BJP, using the state apparatus as state-sponsored mob violence,”
The group has called the disqualification of Rahul Gandhi from Lok Sabhaan act of political vendetta, which was done following a court order and as per the Supreme Court’s order. The group keeps writing to the Supreme Court alleging ethnic cleansing of Muslims in various parts of the country.
Conclusion: Addressing the real threat of love jihad
It is high time that organisations, so-called intellectuals, and media houses stop dismissing love jihad as a conspiracy theory. The case of Alim proves that this menace is real, and it has been growing at an uncontrolled pace. Deceptive practices used to lure vulnerable women into religious conversions through marriage cannot be brushed aside as political or communal rhetoric. It is essential to view the court’s verdict as a step towards safeguarding the nation’s secularism and protecting individuals from exploitation in the name of religion.
Organisations like AILAJ and platforms like Scroll, instead of dismissing these incidents as politically driven, should focus on the facts. Governments, law enforcement agencies, and the judiciary must work together to ensure that laws like the Uttar Pradesh Prohibition of Unlawful Religious Conversion Act are effectively implemented in such cases.
The critics’ arguments, based on ideology rather than evidence, do a disservice to the victims of love jihad and undermine the judicial process. Instead, they must recognise the growing threat posed by such cases and work towards ensuring that those who exploit vulnerable individuals are brought to justice, without allowing political bias to cloud the facts.
