In a significant ruling, the Allahabad High Court has stated that religious congregations where conversions are taking place must be stopped. The court warned that allowing such gatherings could lead to the country's "majority population becoming a minority." This statement was made while hearing the bail petition of Kailash, accused of taking people from Hamirpur in Uttar Pradesh to a gathering in Delhi for conversions.
According to the First Information Report (FIR), Kailash took Ramkali Prajapati's brother, Ramphal, to Delhi, and he never returned home. The FIR mentions that Ramphal, who was suffering from mental illness, was promised treatment at the gathering in Delhi and was expected to return in a week. When he did not come back, Ramkali asked Kailash but did not receive a satisfactory response. The FIR also claims that many people from Hamirpur village were taken to the Delhi gathering and converted to Christianity. Kailash was arrested on charges of kidnapping and under the provisions of the UP Prohibition of Unlawful Conversion of Religion Act, 2021.
The Uttar Pradesh government's counsel, Additional Advocate General PK Giri, informed the court that a large number of people were being converted to Christianity at such gatherings. He cited statements from witnesses who said Kailash had been taking villagers for conversion and receiving payments in return.
Kailash's counsel, Saket Jaiswal, argued that Ramphal was not converted to Christianity but had merely attended a Christian gathering. He pointed out that Sonu Pastor, who organized the gathering, had already been granted bail.
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Justice Rohit Ranjan Agarwal, in his order, highlighted that Article 25 of the Constitution provides for freedom of conscience and the free profession, practice, and propagation of religion, but it does not endorse conversion from one faith to another. "The word 'propagation' means to promote, but it does not mean to convert any person from his religion to another religion," the order stated.
The court noted that Ramphal never returned to the village and that several witnesses accused Kailash of facilitating conversions. "If this process is allowed to be carried out, the majority population of this country would be in minority one day, and such religious congregations should be immediately stopped where conversion is taking place and changing the religion of citizens of India," the court said, denying bail to Kailash.
The court also observed that unlawful conversions, especially targeting SC/ST castes and economically disadvantaged individuals, are happening rampantly throughout Uttar Pradesh. This ruling underscores the court’s stance on the issue of religious conversions and the need to address the concerns associated with such activities.
