The Allahabad High Court has upheld the criminal proceedings against Noor Ahmed Azhari, the Uttar Pradesh chairman of the Muslim Personal Law Board, in response to a viral video where he allegedly claimed that states governed by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) were intimidating Muslims and undermining the Constitution. An FIR was filed against Azhari at the Puranpur police station in Pilibhit district, leading to a charge sheet and subsequent summons issued by the Pilibhit chief judicial magistrate court on July 24, 2024. Azhari sought to quash the proceedings under Section 528 of the Bhartiya Nyaya Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS), but Justice Saurabh Srivastava dismissed his plea on March 16. The court noted that the FIR accused Azhari of spreading religious excitement and communal feelings, potentially leading to public disturbances. During the hearing, Azhari's counsel argued that his statements were merely opinions and did not constitute an offense under Section 505(2), while the state counsel maintained that the case involved disputed facts that could not be resolved at this stage.