Maulana Jarjis Ansari
A popular Islamic preacher was convicted to 10 years in prison. Molana Jarjees Ansari/Facebook

A court in Varanasi has sentenced Islamic preacher Maulana Jarjis Ansari to 10 years of rigorous imprisonment after convicting him in a rape and blackmail case that dates back to 2016. The sentence was handed down by Additional District Judge Neeraj Shrivastava at a fast-track court in Uttar Pradesh.

According to court findings, the case involved allegations that Ansari misled a woman about his marital status, entered into a relationship with her under false pretences and later used intimate recordings to blackmail her.

The conviction has attracted widespread attention because Ansari is a well-known religious preacher with a large online following. His sermons have been viewed hundreds of thousands of times across social media platforms, while a Facebook page dedicated to him has more than 555,000 followers.

Who Is Maulana Jarjis Ansari?

Ansari built a substantial audience through Islamic lectures and religious sermons, commonly known as takrir, which were distributed across YouTube and Facebook. His speeches regularly appeared on channels including 'Ask Islamic Media', 'Islamic Conference', 'Takrir Video' and 'Ayat Muslim Media', where many videos attracted audiences well into the hundreds of thousands.

His popularity extended beyond his home state, with social media posts advertising lectures and religious events in different parts of India, including Odisha. A Facebook page maintained by supporters has more than 555,000 followers and continued to promote his appearances as recently as 2025 and 2026.

Unlike many local religious figures, Ansari built an audience that reached far beyond individual mosques or community gatherings. Recordings of his sermons were widely shared online, allowing him to reach viewers across India and among Urdu-speaking audiences abroad. The scale of that online following is one reason the conviction has attracted attention well beyond Uttar Pradesh, particularly among followers who primarily knew him through social media.

What Did The Court Find?

The criminal case began in 2016 when a woman from the same religious community filed a complaint against Ansari. According to reports of the proceedings, she alleged that Ansari falsely claimed he was unmarried when he entered into a sexual relationship with her. The complaint further alleged that intimate videos were recorded and later used to blackmail her.

Following the trial, the fast-track court convicted Ansari and sentenced him to 10 years of rigorous imprisonment. The court also imposed a monetary fine.

The verdict brings to a close a case that remained before the courts for several years and has now become one of the most widely discussed legal cases involving a religious social media personality in the region.

Why Ansari Was Already A Controversial Figure

Before the conviction, Ansari had already attracted public criticism over comments made during some of his sermons. One widely circulated lecture drew particular backlash after he suggested that women remained obligated to satisfy their husbands even during childbirth.

Supporters defended his remarks as expressions of traditional religious teachings, while critics argued they reflected restrictive views on women and family life. The comments became among the most widely discussed aspects of his public profile and contributed to broader scrutiny of his teachings beyond his core audience.

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