In a notable ruling, the Allahabad High Court has observed that throwing non-vegetarian food waste into the River Ganga could rightly be said to hurt the religious sentiments of the Hindu community. The observation was made by the court while granting bail to eight individuals who were arrested in March 2026 for allegedly throwing meat leftovers into the river during an Iftar party on a boat in Varanasi.
- Court: Allahabad High Court
- Legal Issue: Whether the accused, who allegedly threw non-vegetarian food remains into the River Ganga during an Iftar party on a boat, are entitled to bail under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) for charges including outraging religious feelings and defiling a place of worship.
- Outcome: The High Court granted bail to all eight accused-applicants on May 15, 2026, taking into consideration their lack of criminal antecedents, the period of detention already undergone, and their deep expression of regret and apology.
The incident dates back to March 15, 2026, when members of the Muslim community held an Iftar party to break their Ramzan fast on a boat in the River Ganga in Varanasi. According to the prosecution, the participants consumed non-vegetarian food during the gathering and subsequently threw the remains and leftovers directly into the river.
On March 16, 2026, an First Information Report (FIR) was registered based on a formal complaint lodged by Rajat Jaiswal, the president of the Varanasi chapter of the BJP Yuva Morcha. Jaiswal alleged that the actions of the accused defiled the holy river and deeply hurt the religious sentiments of the Hindu community.
Following the FIR, police arrested the accused, and they were placed in judicial custody on March 17, 2026. They were booked under various provisions of the law, including specific sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) dealing with defiling a place of worship and outraging religious feelings.
On April 1, 2026, a sessions court in Varanasi rejected their bail applications, observing at the time that the accused appeared to have intended to disturb social harmony. The applicants subsequently moved the Allahabad High Court seeking bail.
Before the High Court, the applicants expressed deep remorse and regret for the incident. They submitted that they were genuinely apologetic for their actions and had realized the social impact of the event.
The applicants formally undertook before the court that they would never repeat any such act in the future. Furthermore, it was submitted that the applicants had been in jail since March 17, 2026, and had no prior criminal history.
In the order passed by Justice Rajiv Lochan Shukla, the court took a dispassionate view of the act of discarding non-vegetarian leftovers into the river, noting its cultural and religious impact:
“During the said Iftar party, while partaking of food, non-vegetarian food is said to have been consumed by the members of the Muslim community, who are then alleged to have thrown the remains into the River Ganges. This fact in the dispassionate opinion of the Court could rightly be said to hurt religious sentiments of the Hindu community.”
However, Justice Shukla also took judicial note of the remorse and the clean record of the applicants:
“The applicants are apologetic for their actions and even their families also regret the pain that had been caused to the society at large.”
Evaluating the merits of the bail plea, the court noted:
“Taking note of the entire facts and circumstances of the case, the lack of criminal antecedents of the applicants, the period of detention already undergone and also the apology expressed, as recorded above, prima facie a case for bail is made out.”
On May 15, 2026, the High Court ordered the release of the applicants on bail.
Justice Rajiv Lochan Shukla granted bail to five of the accused-applicants:
- Mohammad Azad Ali
- Mohammad Tahseem
- Nihal Afridi
- Mohammad Tauseef Ahmad
- Mohammad Anas
In a connected order passed on the same day in the same case, Justice Jitendra Kumar Sinha granted bail to the remaining three co-accused:
- Mohammad Sameer
- Mohammad Ahmad Raza
- Mohammad Faizan
