The Allahabad High Court has directed round-the-clock police protection for a Muslim man from Bareilly who alleged that he was prevented from offering Namaz inside his private residence.<br /><br />A division bench comprising Justice Atul Sreedharan and Justice Siddharth Nandan ordered that two armed guards be deployed to provide 24/7 security to Haseen Khan.<br /><br />The court further stated that if any act of violence occurs against Khan or his property, it would be prima facie presumed to have occurred at the instance of the State.<br /><br />According to the petition, Khan had earlier approached authorities seeking permission to conduct a religious congregation to offer Namaz at his home. During earlier proceedings, the state government informed the court that no permission is required for an individual to perform Namaz in a private residence, as it falls under the fundamental right to freedom of religion guaranteed by Article 25 of the Constitution of India.<br /><br />However, it was later alleged that Khan was picked up by police from his home while offering Namaz, challaned, threatened with demolition, and allegedly forced to sign blank papers.<br /><br />Following these allegations, a contempt petition was filed against state authorities.<br /><br />During the hearing, the Additional Advocate General representing the state informed the court that permission had actually been sought from people present in the house before offering Namaz.<br /><br />Taking note of the circumstances, the court ordered security protection for Khan and directed that the guards should accompany him wherever he goes.<br /><br />The court has also summoned the District Magistrate and Senior Superintendent of Police of Bareilly to appear before it on March 23 in connection with the matter.<br /><br />The case is titled Tarik Khan vs State of Uttar Pradesh.<br /><br />#AllahabadHighCourt #Bareilly #UttarPradesh #Namaz #ReligiousFreedom #Article25 #IndiaNews #CourtOrder
