HIGH COURT OF JUDICATURE AT ALLAHABAD LUCKNOW CRIMINAL MISC. BAIL APPLICATION No. - 9072 of 2025 Court No. - 13 HON'BLE SUBHASH VIDYARTHI, J. 1. Heard Shri Srees Kumar Srivastava, learned counsel for the applicant, Shri Mohd. Asif Khan, learned A.G.A.-I for the State and perused the records. 2. The instant application has been filed seeking release of the applicant on bail in Case Crime No.159 of 2025, under Sections 3(5) of BNS and Section 3/5(1) of the U.P. Prohibition of Unlawful Conversion of Religion Act, 2021, registered at Police Station Jethwara, District Pratapgarh. 3. The aforesaid case has been registered on the basis of an F.I.R. lodged on 20.07.2025 against 8 named persons, including the applicant, and some unnamed persons stating that the accused persons collect the poor persons of the locality on every Sunday and they earn money under pretext of curing their diseases by miraculous practices. Under pretext of these activities, they are involved in illegal conversion of religion. 4. In the affidavit filed in support of the bail application, it has been stated that the applicant is innocent, he has been falsely implicated in the present case and he has no criminal history. 5. Co-accused persons Mukesh Saroj, Surendra @ Kaltu, Ashok Saroj, Ram Sanehi Saroj and Sunil Saroj have been granted bail in the present case by means of an order dated 04.09.2025, 09.09.2025 and 11.09.2025 passed by this court in Crl. Misc. Bail Application Nos.8337 of 2025, 8455 of 2025 and 8575 of 2025. 6. Learned counsel for the applicant has submitted that the alleged offences carry a maximum punishment of imprisonment up to 5 years. Versus Counsel for Applicant(s) : Srees Kumar Srivastava, Munish Kumar Chandra Counsel for Opposite Party(s) : G.A. Rajendra Prasad Verma .....Applicant(s) State Of U.P. Thru Prin. Secy. Deptt. Home Lko. .....Opposite Party(s) 7. Learned A.G.A. has opposed the bail application and he has submitted that investigation in the matter is still going on. 8. Having considered the aforesaid facts and circumstances of the case and keeping in view the fact that the F.I.R. does not contain any specific allegation of any force or threat exhorted by the applicant for conversion of religion of any specific person; that the applicant has no previous criminal history and he is languishing in jail since 20.07.2025 whereas the alleged offences carries a maximum imprisonment of up to 5 years and 5 co-accused persons have been granted bail in the present case, I am of the view that the aforesaid facts are sufficient for making out a case for enlargement of the applicant on bail in the aforesaid crime. 9. Accordingly, this bail application stands allowed. 10. Let the applicant - Rajendra Prasad Verma be released on bail in the aforementioned case on furnishing a personal bond and two sureties each in the like amount to the satisfaction of Magistrate/Court concerned, subject to following conditions:- (i) the applicant shall not tamper with the prosecution evidence; (ii) the applicant shall not pressurize the prosecution witnesses; (iii) the applicant shall appear on each and every date fixed by the trial Court. September 24, 2025 -Amit K- BAIL No. 9072 of 2025 2 (Subhash Vidyarthi,J.) Digitally signed by :- AMIT KUMAR High Court of Judicature at Allahabad, Lucknow Bench