A special NIA-ATS court has sentenced renowned Islamic scholar Maulana Kaleem Siddiqui, Umar Gautam, and ten others to life imprisonment for their role in a series of “illegal conversion” cases. The verdict, delivered by Judge Vivekanand Sharan Tripathi, found the accused guilty under multiple sections of the Indian Penal Code, including 417 (cheating), 120B (criminal conspiracy), 153A (promoting enmity), 153B (prejudicial imputations), 295A (insulting religious beliefs), 121A (conspiracy against the state), and 123 (concealing offenses). They were also convicted under sections 3, 4, and 5 of the Illegal Conversion Act.
The accused were convicted for their roles in a nationwide conversion racket that allegedly used coercive tactics and foreign funding to convert vulnerable individuals, including disabled children, to Islam. The ATS claimed the racket was operational for over two decades and converted an estimated 1,000 people in just two years before being busted in June 2021.
The sentencing comes after the court convicted 10 individuals, including Siddiqui and Gautam, on September 10, 2024. The judge had announced that the quantum of punishment would be pronounced the following day.
Who is Maulana Kaleem Siddiqui?
Maulana Kaleem Siddiqui is an Indian Islamic scholar and preacher, born on September 23, 1957, in Phulat, Muzaffarnagar district, Uttar Pradesh. He is a prominent member of the Tablighi Jamaat and has been involved in religious education and outreach efforts.
Maulana Kaleem Siddiqui, the head of the Shah Waliullah Trust in Muzaffarnagar and chairman of the Global Peace Foundation, was arrested in September 2021 along with three associates The probe alleged that over ₹57 crores were channeled from trusts in the UK and Gulf countries to fund his operations.
Who is Umar Gautam?
Umar Gautam, a former Hindu who converted to Islam in the 1990s, headed the Islamic Dawah Center in Delhi’s Batla House locality. He was arrested in June 2021 along with Mufti Qazi Jahangir Qasmi, an employee of the center.
The sentencing comes after the court convicted 10 individuals, including Siddiqui and Gautam, on September 10, 2024. The judge had announced that the quantum of punishment would be pronounced the following day.
Umar Gautam, originally named Shyam Pratap Singh, hails from Fatehpur and was born into a Rajput family before converting to Islam in the 1990s. His wife, Raziya, previously known as Rajeshwari, revealed that Umar embraced Islam after forming a close friendship with Nasir Khan, a Muslim peer, at Govind Ballabh Pant University in Uttarakhand.
Gautam, who now leads the Islamic Dawah Center, is at the center of an alleged large-scale illegal conversion racket. According to the ATS, the operation functioned as a “well-oiled system” for over two decades. Reports suggest that the accused facilitated these conversions through various trusts and organizations, allegedly offering financial incentives to encourage individuals to change their faith.
