Observing that religious conversion is a serious matter that should not be politicized, the Supreme Court on Monday requested the assistance of Attorney General R Venkataramani regarding a petition requesting that the Centre and states take stringent measures to prevent fraudulent religious conversions.
A bench of Justices M R Shah and C T Ravikumar requested Venkataramani to appear in the case in which the petitioner sought a ban on religious conversions through “intimidation, threatening, and deceptively luring through gifts and monetary benefits” and to assist as amicus curiae.
“We also need your assistance, AG. Religious conversions through coercion, seduction, etc. If this occurs, what should be done? There are innumerable methods by which to entice. What corrective measures are in place? “The judge stated.
Senior advocate P Wilson, representing Tamil Nadu, initially referred to the petition as “politically motivated” and insisted that such conversions did not occur in the state. The bench received an objection and commented, “There may be various reasons for your agitation. Do not transform court proceedings into other activities… We are concerned about the state as a whole. If it is occurring in your state, it is unfavourable. If not, that’s fine. Do not see it as targeting one state. Avoid making it political.”
Advocate Ashwini Kumar Upadhyay had filed a petition requesting that the Centre and states take stringent measures to prevent fraudulent religious conversions. Recently, the highest court stated that forced religious conversion poses a threat to national security and infringes on the religious freedom of citizens, and urged the Centre to make sincere efforts to address the “very serious” issue.
The court had warned that a “very difficult situation” would arise if proselytism through deception, allurement, and coercion was not stopped.
During an earlier hearing, the Gujarat government told the apex court that freedom of religion does not include the right to convert others and urged the court to lift a stay on the provision of a state law that requires the permission of the district magistrate for conversion through marriage.
The Supreme Court had requested responses to the petition from the Centre and others on September 23.
In his petition, Upadhyay argues that forced religious conversion is a nationwide issue that requires immediate attention. In the petition, he asserted, “The harm caused to the citizens is enormous, as there is not a single district free of ‘hook and crook’ religious conversion.”
“Each week, incidents are reported across the country in which people are converted by intimidating, threatening, and deceivingly luring them with gifts and monetary benefits, as well as by using black magic, superstition, and miracles, but the Centre and States have not taken stringent steps to stop this menace,” said the petition filed by advocate Ashwani Kumar Dubey.
The petition also requested that the Law Commission of India prepare a report and a bill to control religious conversion through coercion and monetary inducements.
The next hearing is scheduled for February 7.
