New Delhi: The Supreme Court of India has expressed serious concerns over alleged forceful religious conversion saying it directly affects the national security, freedom of religion, and conscience of citizens.
The top court made the remarks during a hearing on a petition seeking to curb forced religious conversions across the country and asked the federal government to explain its efforts to curb compulsory or deceitful religious conversions.
Advocate Ashwini Upadhyay filed a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) in which it was stated that central government has failed to control the incidents of forced conversions, he further added, “mass religious conversions of socially and economically underprivileged persons, particularly belonging to the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribe communities, are on a steep rise for the last two decades”.
This not only offends constitutional rights of equality, life and liberty, religion but is also against the principles of secularism, which is integral part of basic structure.
Indian Supreme Court emphasized that religious conversions by means of force, allurement or fraud may “ultimately affect the security of the nation, freedom of religion and conscience of citizens.” It urged the Union government to “step in” and apprise the court of the measures being taken to prevent such occurrences. A bench of Justice MR Shah & Justice Hima Kohli observed, “This is a very serious matter. It is seriously against interest of the nation. Everybody has the right to choose religion but not by force or by giving some temptation. It is a very dangerous thing.
The bench retorted, “There may be a freedom of religion, but no freedom on forced conversion. What steps have been taken by the Union government of India? Otherwise, it is very difficult…please, make your stand very clear. What action you propose to take? Conversion is under the Constitution but not forcible conversion.” SC said, Centre must step in (to curb this), adding, “right to freedom of religion (under Article 25) does not mean use of force, allurement or deception. If the incidents alleged in the PIL are true, it is a very serious matter.
The Centre must make clear its stand on this issue.” The bench ruled that a “purposive conversion” would impinge on the “freedom of conscience” guaranteed to all citizens.
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