Allahabad HC Orders UP Police to Produce Man Allegedly Detained Over Interfaith Marriage

The Allahabad High Court has directed the Uttar Pradesh Police to produce a man before the court in connection with a habeas corpus petition alleging that he was illegally detained by his father after converting to Islam and marrying a Muslim woman. The petition concerns Ayush Malik, whose alleged detention has become the subject of judicial proceedings following his reported conversion and marriage to Chandni Qureshi.

According to the petition, Malik voluntarily renounced Hinduism and converted to Islam without coercion before marrying Qureshi. The petitioner has alleged that, after the marriage, Malik’s father took him into custody and that State authorities allegedly acted in collusion with the father to facilitate his continued detention. The plea has sought the court’s intervention to establish Malik’s whereabouts and examine whether his confinement is lawful.

The matter is linked to a criminal case registered by the police in Shamli district under the Uttar Pradesh Prohibition of Unlawful Conversion of Religion Act, 2021. The case was registered against Chandni Qureshi and her father following Malik’s conversion to Islam and his subsequent marriage to Qureshi. The proceedings have raised questions about the circumstances in which the conversion and marriage took place and the actions taken by law enforcement authorities thereafter.

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Chandni Qureshi and her father were subsequently arrested in connection with the case and reportedly remained in jail for several months. Their arrests form part of the broader legal dispute surrounding Malik’s conversion and marriage. The habeas corpus petition, however, focuses specifically on the allegation that Malik himself was unlawfully detained following the marriage and that official intervention has allegedly prevented him from exercising his personal liberty.

The High Court’s direction to produce Malik is intended to allow the court to directly examine the circumstances of his custody and determine whether the allegations of illegal detention have substance. Habeas corpus proceedings are used to seek the production of a person allegedly held unlawfully, enabling the judiciary to assess whether the detention is supported by legal authority. The order does not, by itself, constitute a final finding on the allegations made by either side.

The case highlights legal and constitutional questions concerning an adult’s freedom to choose their religion and life partner, alongside the responsibility of authorities to ensure that no person is unlawfully confined. The court’s further proceedings are expected to clarify Malik’s situation, the circumstances surrounding his alleged detention and the role, if any, played by State officials in the matter. The allegations remain subject to judicial examination.

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