Bhopal court acquits man in interfaith marriage conversion case

A Bhopal court acquitted a Muslim man in an interfaith marriage case after the woman denied threats and the prosecution failed to prove conversion charges.

A 22-year-old Muslim man who was allegedly assaulted at a Bhopal court before his planned interfaith marriage has been acquitted by a district court in a case under the MP Freedom of Religion Act, 2021, according to the court order released on Saturday.

Pipariya man allegedly attacked before interfaith marriage, assaulted at police station and booked under conversion law.

Sayyed Khan, a Pipariya resident, had reached Bhopal district court on February 7, 2025, to marry a Hindu woman from his village. Before the marriage, members of right wing organisations allegedly attacked him inside the court. He was later taken to MP Nagar police station, where he was allegedly assaulted again, and subsequently booked by Bankhedi police under Sections 3 and 5 of the Act, said RS Rajput, additional public prosecutor. Khan was then arrested on February 15 and later was out on bail.

The woman had alleged that Khan pressured her to marry him, change her name and convert. However, during cross-examination, she admitted she was neither threatened nor allured.

The district and additional session judge Archana Raghuvanshi said, “There were serious contradictions between witness statements. The prosecution failed to prove beyond reasonable doubt that the accused pressured the woman for conversion or marriage by fraudulent means.” Khan was acquitted of the charges on September 2, said additional public prosecutor. SHruti tomar