HC refuses to quash FIRs in 2025 Bareilly violence case

Prayagraj: The Allahabad high court has declined to quash a bunch of FIRs lodged in connection with the Sept 2025 Bareilly violence case in which police force was attacked by a mob with bricks, stones and acid bottles while raising provocative slogans.With this, the high court also vacated the interim stay order dated Nov 24, 2025, by which it had stayed the arrest of some of the accused of this case. A division bench of Justice JJ Munir and Justice Vinai Kumar Dwivedi, while dismissing a batch of writ petitions filed by Ashu and others, observed in its March 9 judgment: "In the totality of circumstances, we do not find this to be a fit case where we can quash the impugned FIR at the instance of any of the petitioners." The petitioners, named in the FIR, had sought its quashing. Their argument was that an FIR had already been lodged by a sub-inspector regarding the same incident, and therefore the subsequent FIR—filed later—amounted to a "second FIR," which should be quashed. The court rejected this contention. According to the prosecution, violence broke out after supporters of Maulana Taukir Raza raised provocative slogans and hurled petrol bombs and stones at police personnel when permission for their protest was denied. The Bareilly administration had imposed prohibitory orders under section 163 of the BNSS due to the overlapping Navratri and Urs festivities. Raza allegedly released a video challenging the govt's restrictions and warning of "dire consequences" if the protest was blocked. When police intervened, the violence rapidly spread from Khalil Tiraha to Naumahalla Mosque, Kotwali, the SP City office, Novelty Chauraha, Azamnagar and Shyamganj areas.