News Analysis India

Tag: conversion

  • Anti-conversion law: MP govt to move SC against interim relief given to interfaith couples

    By PTI

    JABALPUR: The Madhya Pradesh government is going to move the Supreme Court to challenge the high court’s interim order restraining it from prosecuting interfaith couples who enter wedlock without informing the district magistrate.

    The high court, in an interim order, directed the state government not to prosecute under section 10 of the MP Freedom of Religion Act (MPFRA) adults who solemnise their marriage on their own volition.

    A division bench of Justices Sujoy Paul and PC Gupta on November 14 observed that section 10, which makes it obligatory for a citizen desiring (religious) conversion to give a (prior) declaration in this regard to the district magistrate, is “in our opinion ex facie, unconstitutional in the teeth of aforesaid judgments of this court.”

    “The state government is going to move the Supreme Court to challenge the high court’s interim order, which restrains it from prosecuting under section 10 of the MPFRA adults who solemnise their marriage on their own volition,” Advocate General Prashant Singh told PTI on Sunday.

    The MPFRA forbids conversions by misrepresentation, allurement, use of threat of force, undue influence, coercion, marriage or by any other fraudulent means.

    “We are going to file a plea in the honourable Supreme Court shortly,” Singh said.

    The high court’s interim direction came on a bunch of seven petitions challenging provisions of the MPFRA, 2021.

    The petitioners sought interim relief to restrain the state from prosecuting anyone under the Act.

    The court had granted three weeks’ time to the state government to file its para-wise reply to the petitions and said that the petitioners may file a rejoinder within 21 days thereafter.

    JABALPUR: The Madhya Pradesh government is going to move the Supreme Court to challenge the high court’s interim order restraining it from prosecuting interfaith couples who enter wedlock without informing the district magistrate.

    The high court, in an interim order, directed the state government not to prosecute under section 10 of the MP Freedom of Religion Act (MPFRA) adults who solemnise their marriage on their own volition.

    A division bench of Justices Sujoy Paul and PC Gupta on November 14 observed that section 10, which makes it obligatory for a citizen desiring (religious) conversion to give a (prior) declaration in this regard to the district magistrate, is “in our opinion ex facie, unconstitutional in the teeth of aforesaid judgments of this court.”

    “The state government is going to move the Supreme Court to challenge the high court’s interim order, which restrains it from prosecuting under section 10 of the MPFRA adults who solemnise their marriage on their own volition,” Advocate General Prashant Singh told PTI on Sunday.

    The MPFRA forbids conversions by misrepresentation, allurement, use of threat of force, undue influence, coercion, marriage or by any other fraudulent means.

    “We are going to file a plea in the honourable Supreme Court shortly,” Singh said.

    The high court’s interim direction came on a bunch of seven petitions challenging provisions of the MPFRA, 2021.

    The petitioners sought interim relief to restrain the state from prosecuting anyone under the Act.

    The court had granted three weeks’ time to the state government to file its para-wise reply to the petitions and said that the petitioners may file a rejoinder within 21 days thereafter.

  • Jharkhand: Tribal children converted to Christianity; NCPCR seeks action taken report within 3 days

    Express News Service

    RANCHI: Taking suo-moto cognizance of the news reports brought to its notice regarding the religious conversion of 12 tribal children taking place in Jharkhand’s Khunti, the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) has asked the SP to take action following an inquiry conducted into the matter.

    NCPCR Chairman Priyank Kanoongo, writing a letter to SP Khunti, has asked the police to submit an action taken report within three days of the receipt of the letter. A copy of the letter dated June 6, 2022, has also been sent to Khunti Deputy Commissioner.

    “The Commission has taken suo-moto cognizance of the news report wherein it has been brought to the notice of the Commission that 12 children of Khunti district in Jharkhand have been illegally converted to Christianity by ‘Torpa Arsee Church’ running in the State of Jharkhand,” stated the letter written by NCPCR Chairman.

    Through the said news report, it was also discovered that such illegal conversions are taking place in the village for some time now and to date, no action has been taken by the local government. NCPCR believes that it is a violation of the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2015 and of the Religious Conversion Act passed by the Jharkhand Assembly in 2017.

    “In the view of the allegations stated in the complaint, it is observed that there is prima facie contravention of various provisions under the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2015, violation of Article 25 of the Constitution of India and violation of provisions under Jharkhand Freedom of Religion Act 2017,” the letter further reads.

    Meanwhile, coming into action, the district administration has ordered an inquiry into the matter. “I have asked the Sub-divisional Officer (SDO) to initiate an inquiry and submit a report within 48 hours,” said Khunti Deputy Commissioner Shashi Ranjan. Some of the children are minors and consent of their parents was not taken before the religious conversion, he added. The Deputy Commissioner further added that action will be taken against those responsible for it, as soon as the report comes to him.

    Notably, out of the 12 people who converted to Christianity, 10 are minors while the two others are women of age 21 and 25 years respectively. According to villagers, they were taken to the Church in the name of educating them and converted to Christianity.

    Villagers also claimed that a day ahead of the conversion which took place on May 22, 2022, Gram Pradhan of Kamda village under Tapkara Police Station, had handed over a memorandum to Khunti Sub-divisional Officer requesting him to stop it, but no action was taken in this regard.

    ‘Sarna Dharma Soto Samiti’ held a meeting in the village and expressed their anguish against the ongoing illegal conversions in the State despite the fact that anti-conversion law has been implanted in the State.

    “Given the fact that there is anti-conversion law in Jharkhand, religious conversions are taking place illegally. Those who have converted themselves to another religion must be barred from taking benefits of reservation in the State,” said a member of Sarna Dharma Soto Samiti, Reda Munda. 

  • Kin allege forcible conversion of minor girl in Uttar Pradesh’s Agra, five held

    By PTI
    AGRA: Family members of a 16-year-old girl here have accused a youth of forcibly converting her to Islam and marrying her against her wish, police said on Saturday.

    Police have arrested five people, including the youth’s father, mother and sister, in this regard while he is absconding.

    The accused have been identified as 18-year-old Kasim Quereshi, a resident of the Naseerabad area in Agra, police said.

    The girl’s father alleged in a complaint that she has been missing for the past 15 days and when she returned home, she was found pregnant, Senior Sub Inspector Amit Prasad at the Hariparwat Police Station said.

    The police officer said, “According to the girl’s father, she was missing for the past 15 days and returned home on July 1. He claimed that when she returned, she was pregnant. The girl’s father registered a complaint against the youth and his family on Friday.”

    The complainant said the youth used to visit their home, telling his name as Vicky Yadav.

    His sister also told her name as Sonam Yadav, Prasad said.

    Police said five people, including the youth’s father Raesuddin, mother Rukhsar and the sister, have been arrested.

    Kasim is absconding, police added.

  • Man arrested for marrying woman using false identity, trying to force her to convert in Uttar Pradesh

    By PTI
    GORAKHPUR: A Muslim man has been arrested here for allegedly marrying a woman by hiding his identity and then trying to force her to undergo religious conversion, police said on Monday.

    The accused, Mainuddin of Bhelapur village, had met the woman last year and introduced himself as Munna Yadav, the police said, quoting the FIR.

    His cousin and accomplice Rehman Ali was arrested on Monday, they added Mainuddin and the woman grew close and eventually got married at a temple in Sant Kabir Nagar district and started living there, according to the FIR.

    After some time, the accused disclosed his real name and religion, and started pressuring the woman to convert and also assaulted her for refusing, the police said.

    On Saturday, the woman came to know that Mainuddin was planning to get married again and informed police on ‘112’, they said, adding that an FIR was subsequently registered.

    “Main accused Mainuddin, aka Munna Yadav, was booked under sections 323, 504, 506, 419 and 120B of the IPC and the provisions of the UP Prohibition of Unlawful Religious Conversion Ordinance, 2020, and arrested on Sunday,” Station House Officer, Harpur Budhat, Devendra Kumar Singh said.