Lagatar24 Desk
New Delhi, Dec 5: The Supreme Court on Monday took a dim view of religious conversion in the guise of charity and said that the intention of persons offering such charity will have to be examined in such cases
Justices MR Shah and CT Ravikumar’s panel added that people in India must behave in accordance with its culture and Constitution.
Therefore, it disregarded the arguments made against the legality of a public interest litigation (PIL) petition calling for action against forced conversion to a particular religion.
“We are not here to see who is right or wrong, but to set things right. If someone is offering charity to convert then need to consider their intention. Do not take it as adversarial. It is a very serious issue. When everyone is in India, they have to act as per the culture of India,” Justice Shah remarked.
When it was contended that important information was not entered into the record, he advised the attorney objecting to the plea’s maintainability not to be technical and even provided a copy of the pleadings.
The Union administration was instructed to file a new counter-affidavit after receiving information from the States about their anti-conversion laws, and the subject will now be heard on December 12 for final disposition.
Ashwini Upadhyay, a BJP leader and advocate, has called for tough action to stop forced religious conversions. According to the public interest litigation (PIL) petition, the threat of fraudulent and dishonest religious conversion is widespread throughout the nation and has gone unchecked by the Central government.
Forced religious conversion is a very serious issue that endangers national security and citizens’ freedom of conscience, the top court noted during an earlier hearing in the case.
The Central government had informed the Supreme Court in an affidavit filed last Monday that the fundamental right to practise and spread any religion under the Constitution does not include any fundamental right to convert people.
