Allahabad High Court to Hear Bail Plea in Varanasi Ganga Iftar Case on May 5
By Rajesh Pandey
The Allahabad High Court has scheduled May 5 as the next date of hearing for the bail application filed by Danish and others accused in the Varanasi Ganga Iftar case.
The matter came up before Justice Jitendra Kumar Sinha, who accepted a request from the defence to fix a fresh date and accordingly listed the case for early next month.
Danish Shaifi is among the accused seeking bail in connection with the incident.
Earlier, on April 17, the court had granted the state government time to submit its counter affidavit and had fixed April 24 for further proceedings.
During the latest hearing, the court agreed to adjourn the matter to allow both sides additional time.
The case stems from an FIR lodged on March 16 at Varanasi’s Kotwali police station by Rajat Jaiswal, a local youth leader associated with the Bharatiya Janata Party Yuva Morcha.
The complaint alleged that a group of young men organized an Iftar gathering on a boat in the Ganga on March 15, where they reportedly consumed non-vegetarian food and disposed of leftovers, including bones, into the river—an act claimed to have hurt religious sentiments.
Following the complaint, police registered a case under multiple provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, including sections related to defiling a place of worship and outraging religious feelings.
Additional charges, including extortion, were also invoked later.
The accused were subsequently arrested. Their counsel has argued before the court that the youths have been falsely implicated and that the allegations are exaggerated.
On the other hand, the state has opposed the bail plea and sought time to place its response on record.
Previously, a sessions court in Varanasi had rejected the bail applications on April 1, observing that the alleged actions appeared to have the potential to disturb social harmony.
The High Court is now set to examine the matter further on May 5, when it will consider arguments from both sides before deciding on the bail plea.
The case continues to draw attention as it touches upon issues of faith, public conduct, and legal interpretation, with the court expected to weigh the facts carefully in the upcoming hearing.
