From different faiths, they went to court to marry. He was assaulted, arrested – and now acquitted

Saiyyad Khan and his partner, both from different faiths, chose to marry in Madhya Pradesh's Narmadapuram district on February 7, 2025. They sought legal assistance to marry under the Special Marriage Act. However, their court appearance turned violent when a group of lawyers assaulted Khan inside the Bhopal district court. Khan was subsequently arrested and charged with forcing his partner to convert to Islam and marry him.

Despite the charges, Khan was acquitted by the Narmadapuram district court on September 8 after the main witnesses, including the woman and her family, did not back the prosecution's case. The 26-year-old expressed relief at the verdict but lamented the loss of his job and his fiancée's marriage to another man, as well as the physical and social repercussions he and his family faced.