The Madhya Pradesh High Court on Wednesday granted bail to Anwar Kadri, a former Congress councillor accused of financing religious conversions allegedly linked to so-called ‘love jihad’, directing him to mark weekly attendance at the police station until the completion of trial.
Justice Subodh Abhyankar of the High Court’s Indore bench allowed Kadri’s release on a personal bond of ₹25,000 along with one solvent surety of the same amount, over five months after his surrender and subsequent arrest on August 29, 2025.
“Accordingly, without commenting on the merits of the case, the application filed by the applicant is allowed,” the court stated, adding that Kadri must be present for trial proceedings and comply with all bail conditions.
In view of Kadri’s “criminal antecedents”, the court imposed a further condition requiring him to appear at the concerned police station every Sunday between 12 pm and 4 pm until the trial concludes.
Kadri’s counsel argued that the allegations were baseless and solely founded on the statements of co-accused Sahil Sheikh and Altaf Shah, who had claimed that Kadri gave them ₹3 lakh to fund religious conversions. The lawyer emphasized that the prosecutrix (the female complainant) had not named Kadri and that no direct material evidence linked him to the alleged offences.
The court was informed that Kadri had been incarcerated since August 29, 2025, and that the trial was likely to be prolonged.
The prosecution opposed the bail plea, contending that the case diary was unavailable and highlighting Kadri’s criminal record, stating that at least 18 other FIRs were registered against him.
Despite this, the bench noted that co-accused Sahil Sheikh had already been granted bail and that the chargesheet was available with Kadri’s lawyer. Taking these factors into account, the court found grounds to grant conditional bail.
According to police, Kadri had been absconding for nearly two-and-a-half months before surrendering. He was accused of providing funds allegedly used by Sheikh and Shah to lure and exploit women for religious conversion. Both men were arrested in connection with separate cases involving rape and other offences.
Police had invoked the National Security Act (NSA) against Kadri and announced a ₹40,000 reward for his arrest. On November 10, 2025, a local administrative court terminated Kadri’s councillor post and disqualified him from contesting municipal elections for five years.
The case has attracted significant attention due to its connection with the contentious term ‘love jihad’, often used by right-wing groups to allege that Muslim men coerce women from other faiths into conversion under the guise of romance.
