Varanasi Court Orders Judicial Remand for 14 Youths in Ganga Pollution Case
A court in Varanasi has sent 14 Muslim youths to jail on a 14-day judicial remand, lasting until April 1, following allegations that they held an iftar party on a boat and disposed of waste, including leftover biryani and bones, into the sacred Ganga River. The incident, which has sparked legal and social scrutiny, occurred at Panchganga Ghat, a site revered for its confluence of five rivers.
Court Proceedings and Legal Arguments
The accused were presented before the court of ACJM-9 Amit Yadav late Thursday evening, amid heightened police security after regular court hours. The investigating officer formally requested judicial remand from March 19 to April 1, a motion that the court approved after deliberation.
Defence advocates strongly opposed the remand, asserting a lack of concrete evidence against the youths. However, prosecution officer Deepak Kumar countered, stating that boatmen had provided statements alleging the accused forcibly boarded the vessel and issued threats. In response, Section 308 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) was added to the case, a provision that carries a potential penalty of up to 10 years imprisonment.
Following the remand approval, the defence filed a bail application, which faced opposition from complainant advocates Shashank Shekhar Tripathi, Rajkumar Tiwari, and Nityanand Rai. They argued that the actions were deliberate and aimed at disturbing religious harmony at the sacred river site. The court, aligning with prosecution and complainant arguments, has summoned the criminal records of the accused from the relevant police station and scheduled the next hearing for March 23.
Background and Charges
The legal action stems from a written complaint filed by Rajat Jaiswal, chief of the BJP Yuva Morcha city unit, on Monday. According to ACP (Kotwali) Vijay Pratap Singh, the youths have been charged under multiple sections of the BNS and environmental laws:
- BNS Section 298: Defiling a place of worship with intent to insult a religion.
- BNS Section 299: Deliberate and malicious acts intended to outrage religious feelings.
- BNS Section 196(1)(b): Promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of religion.
- BNS Section 270: Public nuisance.
- BNS Section 223(b): Disobeying a public servant's order.
- Section 24 of the Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1974: Addressing pollution concerns.
The complainant alleged that a viral video showed the youths consuming non-vegetarian food during the iftar party while sailing near the Bindu Madhav Dharara temple, with references made to the Alamgir Mosque in the background, before dumping waste into the river. This case highlights ongoing tensions around religious practices and environmental preservation in one of India's most spiritually significant cities.
