On Thursday, 16 October, the Supreme Court declined to grant bail to PFI extremist Wasid Khan, who is charged under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA). The court chose not to disturb the Madhya Pradesh High Court’s decision, which itself had upheld a trial court’s denial of bail. A Bench comprising Justice M.M. Sundresh and Justice Vipul M. Pancholi formally dismissed Khan’s criminal appeal.

The apex court referred to “the availability of material against him,” noting that on a prima facie view, that evidence suggests an attempt by Khan “to disrupt the communal harmony and wage war.”

Khan’s counsel, Senior Advocate Shoeb Alam, argued before the Supreme Court that the High Court was wrong to conclude that incriminating evidence existed at all without first considering Khan’s claim that he was no longer affiliated with the Popular Front of India after its ban in 2022. Yet, the Supreme Court rejected that argument and refused to interfere.

Efforts to Establish a ‘Mughal Order’

In its refusal of bail, the Madhya Pradesh High Court pointed to the seizure memo as key evidence. This memo documented the recovery from Khan’s house and office of “Books, CDs, a Computer, a pen drive, a bank account, pamphlets, certain lectures and written materials”, which the court believed indicated a plan “to achieve an objective of establishing a Mughal Order as it existed prior to Britishers taking over reign from the hands of the Mughals.”

The High Court’s order, dated 17 May 2025, stated:

“We have gone through the seizure memo and the seizure memo reveals that incriminating material like Books, CD, Computer, Pen-Drive, Bank-Account, Pamphlet, certain lectures and written materials have been seized from the house/office of the appellant which prima facie reveals that attempt is being made to cause disruption in the communal harmony amongst the members of the Society, so to achieve and object of establishing a Mughal Order as it existed prior to Britishers taking over Regin from the hands of the Mughals and started ruling the country before independence.”

In opposing Khan’s bail plea at the Supreme Court level, Senior Advocate Nachiketa Joshi, representing the National Investigation Agency (NIA), emphasised additional evidence. He noted the presence of a “Vision 2047” document in Khan’s possession, which allegedly outlines a plan for turning India into an Islamic state under Sharia law.

Khan was arrested by the NIA on 3 February 2023, and he faces charges under several sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and UAPA:

• IPC Sections: 121-A (Conspiracy to commit offences under §121 – waging war), 153-A (Promoting enmity between groups), 120-B (Criminal conspiracy), 201 (Disappearance or falsification of evidence)

• UAPA Sections: 13(1)(b) (abetting or advocating unlawful activity), 18 (conspiracy), 18-A (organising terrorist camps), 18-B (recruitment for terrorist acts)

Other accused in the case include Abdul Kareem alias Bekariwala, Mohd. Javed, Abdul Khalid, Abdul Zameel Sheikh, Abdul Rauf Belim, Mohsin Qureshi, Imran Tanwar Hussain, Mohd. Shakir Khan, Mohd. Shamsad, Tohsif Ahemed Cheepa, Shahzad Beg, Ishahk Khan, Mohd. Zuber Ahemed, Akib Khan, Mohd. Yusuf Molani, Khawaja Hussain, Sheikh Nasir alias Nasir Nadvi Sheikh, Anwar Khan alias Doctor Anwar Siddique, Gulam Navi Khan alias Sajid Gulam Navi, Gulam Rasul Shah, and Parvej Khan. The trial is ongoing in the sessions court.

Arms Training and the ‘Vision 2047’ Objective

In rejecting the bail plea, a Special NIA Court noted that during interrogation, Khan admitted to holding the position of General Secretary of the National Confederation of Human Rights Organisations (NCHRO), which serves as the legal arm of the banned PFI.

As NCHRO’s General Secretary, Khan was reportedly responsible for overseeing legal affairs linked to radical Islamic organisations like PFI and SIMI, both of which advocate for enforcing Sharia law in India. Khan is said to have joined PFI in 2017, gaining responsibility for recruiting new members and teaching legal doctrines in PFI-organised classes — all in support of “Vision 2047.”

Khan also claimed to have attended a secret meeting in August 2022, where multiple accused delivered speeches about Vision 2047 and laid out a roadmap for achieving it. He further disclosed that PFI’s strategy is to use support from OBC and SC/ST communities to form an Islamic government by 2047 and impose Sharia law across the country.

To back this plan, the PFI is alleged to have provided arms training to Muslim men. The training involved use of knives under six inches in length and two-foot rods, with the goal of facilitating targeted killings.

Inside the “Vision 2047” Document

In July 2022, the Bihar Police reportedly seized an 8-page document during a raid on a secret PFI operation. This document, titled “India 2047: Towards Rule of Islam in India”, portrays a methodical blueprint for Islamising India over time. According to the allegations, PFI cadres were distributed this material to motivate them into supporting a mission to dominate “coward Hindus”. The document claimed that such dominance could be secured even if only 10% of Muslims actively supported the cause.

Further, the document reportedly laid out plans for a full-scale armed uprising in India, with assistance from Islamic nations such as Turkey. It included appeals to other Islamic countries, seeking help to subjugate the Indian state and bring the Hindu majority “to their knees.”

Following these revelations, the NIA conducted raids across multiple states (17 states, it is claimed) and seized relevant materials including training modules for constructing IEDs and bombs from household items. Copies of the Vision 2047 document, CDs, and other incriminating materials were also recovered.

In September 2022, the Union Government banned PFI and its associated organisations for five years, citing their operation as unlawful under UAPA. The groups banned included All India Imams Council, Campus Front of India (CFI), Rehab India Foundation, National Confederation of Human Rights Organisation (NCHRO), National Women’s Front, Junior Front, Empower India Foundation, and Rehab Foundation, Kerala.