The Allahabad High Court held that throwing non-vegetarian food waste into the river Ganga can hurt the religious sentiments of the Hindu community.

The observation came while the Court granted bail to five men accused of throwing leftover food into the river during an iftar party held on a boat in Varanasi.

THe bench headed by Justice Rajiv Lochan Shukla noted that the accused and their families had expressed regret over the incident and apologised for the pain caused to society. The Court said that considering the overall facts, the absence of any criminal record, the period already spent in jail, and the apology offered by the accused, they deserved bail.

The accused granted bail are Mohammad Azad Ali, Mohammad Tahseem, Nihal Afridi, Mohammad Tauseef Ahmad and Mohammad Anas. They have been in jail since March 17, 2026.

According to the case, members of the Muslim community had organised an iftar gathering on a boat in the Ganga. During the event, non-vegetarian food was allegedly consumed and the leftovers were thrown into the river. The Court observed that such an act could hurt the religious feelings of Hindus, for whom the Ganga is considered sacred.

The accused also assured the Court that they would not repeat such an act in future.

In the same case, Justice Jitendra Kumar Sinha granted bail to three other accused — Mohammad Sameer, Mohammad Ahmad Raza and Mohammad Faizan.

The FIR was filed on March 16 based on a complaint by Rajat Jaiswal, president of the Varanasi unit of the BJP Yuva Morcha. He alleged that the accused broke their Ramzan fast on a boat in the Ganga, consumed meat and threw the leftovers into the river, hurting Hindu sentiments.

The accused were booked under provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita related to outraging religious feelings and defiling a place of worship. Earlier, a Varanasi sessions court had denied them bail, observing that the act appeared to disturb social harmony