Denies Bail To Cleric Tauqeer RazaPrayagraj: Observing that the slogan “Gustakhi-e-Nabi ki ek hi saza, sar tan se juda” amounted to a challenge to the authority of law, impinged on the sovereignty and integrity of India and constituted incitement to armed rebellion, the Allahabad high court on Monday rejected the bail plea of cleric Maulana Tauqeer Raza Khan in connection with the Bareilly violence of Sept 2025.Dismissing the application, Justice Ashutosh Srivastava held that the slogan could not be equated with faith-affirming religious slogans such as “Naara-e-Takbeer, Allahu Akbar”, “Jo Bole So Nihaal, Sat Sri Akaal”, “Jai Shri Ram” or “Har Har Mahadev”, which express reverence towards God or a Guru.The court said it was not inclined to grant bail to Raza “at this stage”. Raza has been in jail since Sept 27 last year after being arrested in connection with the violence that erupted in Bareilly following a protest call.According to the prosecution, members of the Muslim community were called to assemble at Islamia Inter College grounds to protest alleged atrocities and what they described as false cases against them. Ahead of the gathering, the administration imposed prohibitory orders under Section 163 BNSS. Despite the restrictions, around 200-250 people allegedly marched towards the venue.The state alleged that when police attempted to stop the crowd, protesters raised the “sar tan se juda” slogan, pelted stones and petrol bombs, and opened fire at police personnel, resulting in injuries and damage to public property. The state described Raza as the kingpin and mastermind behind the violence.Raza contended that he had been placed under house arrest around 10 am on Sept 26 and was not present at the scene. He argued that he neither participated in the gathering nor delivered any speech inciting violence.The high court recorded that Raza was not physically present at the spot and remained confined at the residence of a co-accused. However, it noted that he had called upon members of the community to assemble after Friday prayers and submit a memorandum to the President through the district magistrate.The court further observed that Raza’s post-incident speech, in which he thanked people for responding to his call and praised their actions, could not be approved, and therefore declined to grant him bail.
