Eight people arrested over alleged illegal religious conversion in Uttar Pradesh have been charged with conspiring to wage war against the country.
Special judge Ram Gupta on Thursday allowed a plea by the anti-terrorist squad, which had arrested the eight in June, seeking the addition of sections 121A (conspiring to wage war against the country) and 123 (concealing the existence of a design to wage war against the government) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) in the FIR, lodged on June 20.
The court also extended the judicial custody of the accused till September 14.
The accused in the case are: Mohd Umar Gautam, Mufti Kazi Jahangir Alam Kasmi, Irfan Sekh alias Irfan Khna, Salahudin alias Jainuddin Sekh, Prasad Rameshwar Kanware, Bhupriya Vindo alias Arslan, KausarAlam and Dr Faraj Babullah Shah.
The ATS had filed the plea in the special court for addition of sections 121A and 123 of the IPC.
The ATS claimed the gang was involved not only in illegal religious activities but also conspired to disturb the population ratio in the country to promote enmity, thereby posing a danger to the unity, integrity and sovereignty of the country.