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3h ago

Allahabad High Court Says Bible Distribution, Preaching Not Offences Under U.P. Conversion Law

The bench pressed authorities to justify arrests made without a victim allegation under the state's special anti-conversion law.

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The Allahabad HC noted that no person came forward on the date of the FIR to say they were converted, coerced, or even approached with an allurement | ANI File
The counsel for the petitioners submitted that a patently false FIR has been lodged against them. (REPRESENTATIVE IMAGE )

Overview

  • Hearing a plea to quash an August FIR from Sultanpur, the court examined allegations of a prayer meeting, an LED screen showing sermons, and Bible distribution said to target Dalits and poor families.
  • The judges noted that no person initially claimed coercion, allurement, or conversion, with an accusation of inducement surfacing only in statements recorded nearly two months later.
  • Criticizing police for arresting the accused on the day of the FIR, the bench said the record lacked the essential victim allegation required to invoke Section 3 of the 2021 Act.
  • Citing the Supreme Court’s Rajendra Bihari Lal ruling, the court stressed strict compliance with the special law’s safeguards rather than acting on presumptions.
  • The bench issued notice to the complainant to explain his authority and conduct, sought a state counter-affidavit on specific queries within weeks, questioned application of BNS Sections 351(3) and 352, and set the matter for a further hearing.