On Saturday, 5th July, Arshad Madani, the President of the Islamic organisation Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind, sparked widespread outrage after announcing that his group had moved multiple High Courts to stop the release of a movie titled ‘Udaipur Files: Kanhaiya Lal Tailor Murder.’ The film focuses on the horrifying murder of Kanhaiya Lal, a tailor from Udaipur, who was killed in broad daylight on 28th June 2022 by two radicalised Islamic terrorists—Muhammad Riyaz Attari and Muhammad Ghaus. Kanhaiya Lal was targeted after he expressed support for former BJP spokesperson Nupur Sharma, who had faced a storm of backlash over alleged 'blasphemy' remarks.

The actions of Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind have raised eyebrows, especially given the organisation’s past track record of legally supporting individuals involved in terrorism-related cases. In a predictable move, the group expressed strong objections to the film and demanded that its release be blocked. They have approached Delhi, Gujarat, and Maharashtra High Courts, filing petitions to halt the film’s premiere.

Confirming the legal move, Arshad Madani himself declared that Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind had taken the matter to court, alleging that the film contains “blasphemous” references to Prophet Muhammad. He did not hold back in targeting the movie, “The film’s trailer includes the controversial statement made by Nupur Sharma, which had not only set the entire country on fire but also caused adverse impact on the friendly relations of our country with other nations – damaging the image of our great nation at the global stage, and then forced the BJP to expel her from the party,” Madani asserted.

His criticism of the film did not end with legal jargon. In what many have called a thinly veiled threat, Madani indirectly warned of unrest in case the movie is allowed to release. “The trailer presents objectionable remarks against the Prophet of Islam ﷺ and his holy wives, which could disturb peace and public order in the country. The film portrays Deoband as a hub of extremism and uses extremely inflammatory language against its scholars (Ulama),” he declared, suggesting the possibility of violent backlash.

Madani further argued that the film spreads hatred against Muslims and unjustly portrays them in a negative light. He particularly took issue with the movie’s reference to the Gyanvapi Mosque, which is widely believed to have been constructed over the ancient Vishweshwar temple. According to him, these portrayals are not just offensive but violate core Constitutional principles. “Such content is a violation of the fundamental rights granted under Articles 14, 15, and 21 of the Indian Constitution,” Madani concluded.

The film, titled ‘Udaipur Files: Kanhaiya Lal Tailor Murder’, is scheduled to release on Friday, 11th July. The lead role is played by veteran actor Vijay Raaz, known for his impactful performances. The cast also includes well-known names such as Rajneesh Duggal, Preeti Jhangiani, Kamlesh Sawant, Kanchi Singh, and Mushtaq Khan.

The film is directed and written by Bharat S Shrinate, produced by Amit Jani, and distributed by Reliance Entertainment. According to its creators, the film seeks to bring the true story of Kanhaiya Lal’s brutal murder to light—a murder that shook the conscience of the entire nation.

The Long Record of Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind: Legal Shield for Terror Accused Raises Deep Concerns

The Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind has long projected itself as a socio-religious Islamic body, but behind the façade of community service lies a deeply troubling trend—its repeated involvement in legally defending Islamic terrorists, often under the garb of providing community legal aid. This pattern isn’t recent. The organisation, under the leadership of Arshad Madani, set up its own legal cell in 2007, with a dedicated objective to take up such controversial cases and enlist lawyers to represent individuals accused of terrorism in Indian courts.

As reported by The New Indian Express, this legal cell has extended support to nearly 700 individuals accused in terror-related cases. What is even more alarming is the acquittal of at least 192 terror-accused since the legal cell began functioning. These acquittals, however, were not always due to the accused being proven innocent. Most of the time, they walked free because of “technicalities, lack of concrete evidence, or poor investigation by the police.”

From the very beginning, Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind has been involved in high-profile terror cases. Some of the initial cases it took up include the 7/11 Mumbai train bombings, the 2006 Malegaon blasts, and the Aurangabad arms haul case. Its legal network later expanded to cases that shook the nation, including the 26/11 Mumbai terror attack, the 2011 Mumbai triple blasts, the Gateway of India blasts, and the Mulund blast case.

The organisation does not hide this agenda. On its official website, Jamiat openly lists the names of all terror-related cases it is fighting on behalf of accused Muslims. This list is extensive and deeply disturbing.

In 2013, Jamiat provided free legal assistance to Mirza Himayat Baig, an operative of Indian Mujahideen, accused in the deadly German Bakery blast case in Pune. Baig, along with Yasin Bhatkal, was sentenced to death by a Pune court on April 18, 2013. Instead of distancing itself from such a figure, the Jamiat ensured he received full legal support.

The group’s involvement extends across a wide range of terror-linked cases:

• Lashkar-e-Taiba link case (Abdul Rahman vs State SLP)

• ISIS conspiracy case – Kochi (State of Kerala vs Arshi Qureshi & others)

• ISIS conspiracy case – Mumbai (Arshi Qureshi & others vs State of Maharashtra)

• ISIS conspiracy case – Rajasthan (State of Rajasthan vs Sirajuddin)

• 26/11 Mumbai attacks (Syed Zabiuddin vs State of Maharashtra)

• Chinnaswamy Stadium bombing case (State vs Qatil Siddiqui & others)

• Jungli Maharaj Road bombing – Pune (ATS vs Asad Khan & others)

• Indian Mujahideen case (Maharashtra vs Afzal Usmani & others)

• Zaveri Bazaar blasts (State vs Azaz Shaikh & others)

• SIMI conspiracy case – Madhya Pradesh (State vs Irfan Muchale & others)

• Jama Masjid bombing (Delhi State vs Qateel Siddiqui & others)

• Indian Mujahideen conspiracy case (State vs Yasin Bhatkal & others)

• 2008 Ahmedabad serial blasts (State vs Jahid & others)

Each of these cases has links to violent extremism, yet Jamiat continues to jump in with legal aid, regardless of how clear the case against the accused may be.

This pattern goes beyond courtroom support. In a case that shocked the Hindu community, the organisation offered legal and financial support to the murderers of Hindu leader Kamlesh Tiwari, who was butchered in Lucknow in his office. Far from condemning the heinous killing, the Jamiat declared it was ready to cover the entire legal cost and even assigned the head of its legal cell to represent all five accused.

Again in June 2021, Jamiat's lawyers were deployed to defend suspected Al-Qaeda operatives in Uttar Pradesh. The outfit publicly announced legal aid for the two suspects, reaffirming its commitment to support those under the scanner for involvement in radical activities.

In February 2022, the organisation went a step further—it offered legal rescue to 49 terrorists convicted for the 2008 Ahmedabad serial blasts, a brutal attack that left nearly 56 innocent people dead across 21 explosions.

It is true that every citizen has a right to legal defence. And as stated, “Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind has every right to defend convicts and accused that it perceives were implicated on false charges.” But when an organisation consistently steps in to defend not just the accused, but also those with overwhelming evidence against them, the message it sends is loud and clear: radical elements can rely on them for support—no matter how horrifying the crime, no matter how deep the involvement.