Prayagraj, Sep 8 : The Allahabad High Court has rejected the bail application of Ittehad-e-Millat Council founder Maulana Tauqeer Raza, who has been jailed in connection with the 2025 Bareilly violence.
In an order passed on Monday, Justice Ashutosh Srivastava observed that a slogan raised by Tauqeer Raza in his speech after the incident was nothing but a challenge to the authority of law and the sovereignty and integrity of India.
It also observed that though the charge sheet was filed on December 21, 2025, the charges against Raza have yet to be framed, and hence bail cannot be granted at this stage.
Tauqeer Raza has been jailed since October 13, 2025, in connection with the violence that took place during a rally in Bareilly in September last year.
According to the police complaint, Tauqeer Raza had given a call for members of the Muslim community to assemble at Islamiya Inter College after Friday prayers on September 26, 2025, to protest against the denial of permission by authorities for a rally in support of the 'I Love Mohammed' campaign. Despite prohibitory orders clamped under Section 163 of Bharatiya Nagrik Suraksha Sanhita, a large crowd proceeded from Maulana Azad Inter College towards Shyamganj Chauraha, holding placards and raising provocative slogans. When police personnel tried to stop the rally, the crowd turned violent.
The court said the records reveal that "the applicant (Tauqeer Raza) had admittedly to satisfy his religious and private political interests", and took the opportunity of the Friday namaz to mobilise masses to assemble on the grounds of Islamia Inter College "to protest against the government action on the Muslim community and submit a memorandum to the President of India through the District Magistrate, Bareilly."
"The call (by Tauqeer Raza) for such a large assembly was made without seeking permission from the local administration. The applicant has tried to justify that the call to assemble at the Islamia Inter College ground had been cancelled in the wake of the permission having been denied and imposition of Section 163 of the BNSS. However, the fact remains that the masses of the Muslim community did undertake the march to the Islamia grounds and, when it was prevented by the police personnel, who were merely performing their duties to maintain the law and order, were manhandled by the crowd, which indulged in rioting and destruction of public property, resulting in injuries to police personnel which acts cannot be approved of."
The court further said, "The conduct of the applicant after the incident by giving a speech thanking the masses for responding to the call in large numbers and applauding their acts cannot also be approved of."
The bench said it found force in the submission of Additional Advocate General for the state Anoop Trivedi that the slogan "Gushtakh-e-Nabi ke ek hi saja, sar tan se juda, sar tan se juda" (there is only one punishment for the one who insults the Prophet: the head severed from the body) is nothing but a challenge to the authority of law as also to the sovereignty and integrity of India.
The court agreed with the senior counsel that the said slogan cannot be equated to other slogans like "Nara-e-Takbir, Allahu Akbar", "Jo Bole So Nihal Sat Sri Akal", "Jai Shri Ram" or "Har Har Mahadev", which are slogans expressing respect to the concerned God or Guru.
