7 months ago
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The Bombay High Court connected Monday (October 13, 2025) said it volition perceive connected Tuesday a petition filed by U.S. national James Leonard Watson, who was arrested connected October 4 for allegedly attempting spiritual conversion during a supplication gathering successful Thane district.
Chief Justice Shree Chandrashekhar and Justice Gautam A. Ankhad kept the substance to Tuesday asking the petitioner to supply amended translation of the FIR and remand.
Mr. Watson, who holds a valid B-2 concern visa until October 10, 2028, was arrested aft attending a peaceful supplication gathering held connected October 3, astatine a backstage residence successful Bhiwandi. The FIR registered against him nether Sections 299, 302, 3(5), 223, 126(2), includes superior charges nether the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), the Immigration and Foreigners Act, the Juvenile Justice Act, and the Maharashtra Prevention and Eradication of Human Sacrifice and different Inhuman Evil and Aghori Practices and Black Magic Act.
In his petition, Mr. Watson has challenged the FIR and his arrest, arguing that the charges are baseless and that the supplication gathering was lawful. Contending for him, elder advocator Sudip Pasbola and advocator Zaman Ali submitted to the tribunal that the FIR wrongly invokes provisions related to quality sacrifice and achromatic magic, which bash not use to the facts of the case. “The petitioner attended a backstage peaceful supplication gathering astatine a backstage resident, which was interrupted by the complainant and different persons who barged into the house, made threats against the radical inside, and called the constabulary with baseless and mendacious allegations, connected which ground the FIR was registered against the petitioner,” the advocates said.
The petition said that nary grounds of apprehension were communicated to the petitioner, who has been successful custody since October 3 and besides pointed retired that spiritual rituals conducted successful backstage homes are exempt nether Section 12 of the Maharashtra Act.
The advocates argued that the apprehension violated ineligible safeguards laid down by the Supreme Court successful Arnesh Kumar v. State of Bihar and Vihaan Kumar v. State of Haryana, and that determination was nary valid worldly to warrant taking him into custody.
