Particle.news
Download on the App Store
6 ARTICLES
·
3mo ago

Allahabad High Court Upholds FIRs Under Uttar Pradesh Anti-Conversion Law

The court reaffirmed constitutional limits on religious conversions and clarified police authority to file complaints under the Act.

The court refused to cancel the case, stating that the charges were serious and valid enough for a police investigation.
Image
The court also said that the Constitution of India gives every citizen the right to freely follow and spread their religion, but it does not support forced or fraudulent conversions. (For representation)
Image

Overview

  • The Allahabad High Court rejected a plea to quash an FIR against four individuals accused under the Uttar Pradesh Prohibition of Unlawful Religious Conversion Act, 2021.
  • The court ruled that the charges, involving alleged coercive conversions through monetary offers and free medical care, were serious enough to warrant police investigation.
  • Justice Vinod Diwakar emphasized that Article 25 of the Constitution guarantees religious freedom but does not protect forced or fraudulent conversions.
  • The court clarified that station house officers (SHOs) are authorized to file FIRs under the Act, aligning its provisions with the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita framework for cognizable offenses.
  • The law, enacted to curb coercive or deceptive religious conversions, aims to safeguard social harmony and ensure that religious freedom does not disrupt public order or individual well-being.