LUCKNOW: Muslim leaders have demanded a judicial probe into the wedding of four orphan Muslim girls with

boys as per Hindu rituals in the mass marriage organised by the district administration at

on Wednesday under

's

.

The couples were married on Tuesday in court under Special Marriage Act and on Wednesday were made to take seven rounds of the sacred fire and exchanged garlands in a mandap while priests recited mantras. Along with them, 27 Hindu couples also got married.

The girls had been admitted to government shelter home at Motinagar when they were 6-10 years of age. Chief development officer (CDO) Manish Bansal had said on Wednesday that the girls have Muslim names but they did not follow any faith during their stay at the shelter home and will follow their husband's religion after their marriage.

However, Imam Eidgah Maulana Khalid Rasheed Farangi Mahali said that a judicial probe should be conducted to find out whether or not consent of Muslim girls was taken before marrying them to Hindu boys. "Why did the district administration did not take Muslim clerics into confidence before the weddings. We will explore legal possibilities of dealing with the matter," he added.

Shia cleric Maulana Saif Abbas also demanded a judicial probe and said that such actions can affect cordial relations between Hindus and Muslims. If the marriage was conducted under the Special Marriage Act in court, then what was the need of having one as per Hindu rituals, he questioned.