Adults free to choose their faith, says Supreme Court
3 years, 9 months ago

Adults free to choose their faith, says Supreme Court

Hindustan Times  

New Delhi Upadhyay said the Centre should be directed to comply with this direction and in the meantime, the SC may issue certain directives to check fraudulent and forcible religious conversion. The Supreme Court on Friday termed as “very harmful” a petition that asked for a strict central law to check religious conversion and observed that adults are free to choose heir faith. The senior lawyer, on his part, sought to rely upon the Supreme Court’s judgement in Sarla Mudgal’s case in 1995 wherein the top court made observations regarding the necessity of having a unified central legislation on religious conversion. Citing the absence of a central law to stop religious conversion by fraud or allurement, Upadhyay urged the top court to issue appropriate directions to the Centre for considering a unified law in terms of the observation made by it in the Sarla Mudgal case. Upadhyay said the Centre should be directed to comply with this direction and in the meantime, the Supreme Court may issue certain directives to check fraudulent and forcible religious conversion.

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History of this topic

‘UP’s anti-conversion law aims to uphold spirit of secularism': Allahabad HC
4 months, 4 weeks ago

‘UP’s anti-conversion law aims to uphold spirit of secularism': Allahabad HC

Hindustan Times  

Uttar Pradesh's stringent anti-conversion law aims to 'uphold the spirit of secularism,' a single-judge bench of the Allahabad high court observed on Tuesday, as it rejected the bail plea of a man booked for allegedly forcing a girl to convert to Islam. In his bail plea, Azeem, the accused, claimed having been ‘falsely implicated.’ He also asserted that the girl …

In Process Of Bringing Anti-Conversion Law : Rajasthan Govt Tells Supreme Court
6 months, 3 weeks ago

In Process Of Bringing Anti-Conversion Law : Rajasthan Govt Tells Supreme Court

Live Law  

The State of Rajasthan has informed the Supreme Court that it is in the process of making an anti-conversion law. In an affidavit filed in response to a PIL seeking to prevent fraudulent and forceful religious conversions, the State submitted that it does not have any specific legislation dealing with religious conversions.However, the State submitted that it "is in the …

Supreme Court Stays Criminal Proceedings Against Catholic Priest Under Gujarat Anti-Conversion Law For Baptising Child
1 year, 4 months ago

Supreme Court Stays Criminal Proceedings Against Catholic Priest Under Gujarat Anti-Conversion Law For Baptising Child

Live Law  

The Supreme Court on Friday issued a temporary stay on the criminal proceedings against a Catholic parish priest in Gujarat for baptising a child at the request of the child's Christian mother, who is estranged from her Hindu husband. Till the next date of listing, there shall be a stay of further proceedings arising from the FIR.” Background The petitioner …

Opinion: The Supreme Court is making religion an all-purpose excuse for ignoring the law
1 year, 6 months ago

Opinion: The Supreme Court is making religion an all-purpose excuse for ignoring the law

LA Times  

First it was wedding cakes, and now it’s wedding websites. Then, in a narrow 5-4 decision last September, the court left in place a New York state court decision requiring Yeshiva University to recognize an LGBTQ+ student group over the school’s purported religious objections. Now though, when the court says that government action affecting religious exercise must satisfy “strict scrutiny” …

Attorney General raises serious objections to filing of petitions in SC against States’ religious conversion laws
1 year, 11 months ago

Attorney General raises serious objections to filing of petitions in SC against States’ religious conversion laws

The Hindu  

Attorney General R. Venkataramani on Monday in the Supreme Court raised serious objections to petitions being filed in the Supreme Court against various States’ religious conversion laws. The government has also opposed the locus of Citizens for Justice and Peace, an NGO associated with activist Teesta Setalvad, in approaching the apex court against religious conversion laws. One of the main …

Religious conversion: Supreme Court to hear on Feb 3 all petitions challenging state laws
1 year, 11 months ago

Religious conversion: Supreme Court to hear on Feb 3 all petitions challenging state laws

India Today  

The Supreme Court on Monday adjourned to Friday, a batch of petitions challenging the anti-conversion laws of several states regulating religious conversion. READ | Religious conversion case: SC seeks AG’s assistance on what measures can be taken During a brief hearing, senior advocate CU Singh, representing petitioner Citizens for Justice and Peace, which had challenged the state laws, sought that …

Religious conversion a serious issue, should not be given political colour, says Supreme Court
2 years ago

Religious conversion a serious issue, should not be given political colour, says Supreme Court

The Hindu  

The Supreme Court on January 9, 2023 said the Tamil Nadu government prima facie was giving “political colour” to a case concerning the “very serious” issue of religious conversions through force, deceit, and allurement, which was a concern for the entire nation. Ravikumar when senior advocate P. Wilson, for Tamil Nadu, said the petitioner, advocate Ashwini Kumar Upadhyay, was a …

Religious conversion case: SC seeks AG's assistance on what measures can be taken
2 years ago

Religious conversion case: SC seeks AG's assistance on what measures can be taken

India Today  

Terming it a very serious issue, the Supreme Court on Monday sought the assistance of the Attorney General of India in a petition highlighting the issue of religious conversion by force, deceit, or allurement. READ | Forced religious conversion can affect national security, says Supreme Court The top court converted the case into a suo moto case after objections were …

Muslim body challenges religious conversion laws of five States in Supreme Court
2 years ago

Muslim body challenges religious conversion laws of five States in Supreme Court

The Hindu  

Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind on Thursday asked the Supreme Court to declare the religious conversion laws of five States as unconstitutional, saying they bring the personal decision of an individual to adopt another faith under state scrutiny. The Acts have said that any form of allurement given to convert would amount to exercising “undue influence” over a person to change faith and …

SC takes serious note of ‘scurrilous’ allegations made by petitioner-advocate in forcible religious conversions case
2 years ago

SC takes serious note of ‘scurrilous’ allegations made by petitioner-advocate in forcible religious conversions case

The Hindu  

The Supreme Court on December 12 took serious note of a Christian organisation’s objections to “scurrilous, vexatious and scandalous” allegations made against minority religions by petitioner-advocate Ashwini Kumar Upadhyay in his case alleging“massive” forcible religious conversions. Shah and S. Ravindra Bhat, senior advocate Dushyant Dave, for the organisation referred to allegations made in the additional submissions filed by Mr. Upadhyay …

Women, children main targets of foreign-funded religious conversions, PIL petitioner tells SC
2 years, 1 month ago

Women, children main targets of foreign-funded religious conversions, PIL petitioner tells SC

India TV News  

Delhi: Women and children are the main targets of 'foreign-funded' religious conversion in the country and the Centre and state governments have failed to take appropriate steps to check it, the Supreme Court has been told. In a written submission filed before a bench of Justices M R Shah and C T Ravikumar which is hearing a plea against religious …

Anti-Conversion Laws Are Coming For Political Reasons Than Actual Reasons: Ex-Judge Justice Deepak Gupta | Transcript Of Interview
2 years, 1 month ago

Anti-Conversion Laws Are Coming For Political Reasons Than Actual Reasons: Ex-Judge Justice Deepak Gupta | Transcript Of Interview

Live Law  

This is the full transcript of the interview of former Supreme Court judge Justice Deepak Gupta with Manu Sebastian, Managing Editor of LiveLaw, on the topic of anti-conversion laws. State has no business to know if a person has changed religion Mr. Manu Sebastian : "An important news of this week is the Supreme Court hearing a PIL which seeks …

Faith and freedom: On combating forcible religious conversion
2 years, 1 month ago

Faith and freedom: On combating forcible religious conversion

The Hindu  

Protracted litigation in the name of combating forcible religious conversion is taking up valuable time of courts. The Supreme Court is hearing a purported Public Interest Litigation seeking action to curb deceitful religious conversion in the country. The Gujarat High Court had correctly stayed Section 5 of the Gujarat Freedom of Religion Act, 2003, while also staying the operation of …

'Forced religious conversion serious issue’: SC asks Centre to file affidavit
2 years, 1 month ago

'Forced religious conversion serious issue’: SC asks Centre to file affidavit

Hindustan Times  

The Supreme Court on Monday reaffirmed that forced religious conversion is a “serious issue” and asked the Centre to file a detailed affidavit after collecting information from the state governments on anti-conversion laws. The court was hearing a plea filed by advocate Ashwini Kumar Upadhyay seeking direction to the Centre and states to take stringent steps to control fraudulent religious …

Right to religion does not include right to convert: MHA to SC
2 years, 1 month ago

Right to religion does not include right to convert: MHA to SC

The Hindu  

The right to religion does not include the right to convert other people to a particular religion, especially through fraud, deception, coercion, allurement and other means, the Home Ministry told the Supreme Court on Monday. The government said, “Fraudulent or induced conversion impinged upon the right to freedom of conscience of an individual apart from hampering public order and, therefore, …

Religious freedom does not include right to convert other person: Centre tells SC
2 years, 1 month ago

Religious freedom does not include right to convert other person: Centre tells SC

India Today  

The Centre told the Supreme Court on Monday that religious freedom does not include a fundamental right to convert other persons. The plea states, "incidents are reported every week throughout the country where conversion is done by intimidating, threatening, deceivingly luring through gifts and monetary benefits and also using black magic, superstition, miracles but the Centre and States have not …

Forced conversions may ultimately affect national security, freedom of religion, Supreme Court tells Centre
2 years, 1 month ago

Forced conversions may ultimately affect national security, freedom of religion, Supreme Court tells Centre

The Hindu  

The Supreme Court on Monday said religious conversions by means of force, allurement or fraud may “ultimately affect the security of the nation and freedom of religion and conscience of citizens” while directing the Centre to “step in” and clarify what it intends to do to curb compulsory or deceitful religious conversions. He submitted that the apex court had dealt …

Forced religious conversion may pose danger to national security: SC
2 years, 1 month ago

Forced religious conversion may pose danger to national security: SC

Deccan Chronicle  

NEW DELHI: Forced religious conversion may pose a danger to national security and impinge on religious freedom of citizens, the Supreme Court said on Monday, and asked the Centre to step in and make sincere efforts to tackle the "very serious" issue. "Therefore, it is better that the Union government may make their stand clear and file counter on what …

SC notice to Centre on plea seeking action against forced religious conversion
2 years, 3 months ago

SC notice to Centre on plea seeking action against forced religious conversion

Deccan Chronicle  

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Friday sought response from the Centre and others on a plea seeking direction to take stringent steps to control fraudulent religious conversion by “intimidation” and through “gifts and monetary benefits”. The apex court was hearing a plea filed by advocate Ashwini Kumar Upadhyay seeking direction to the Centre and states to take stringent steps …

SC Lawyer & BJP’s Ashwini Upadhyay Urges Centre to Bring Tough Laws to Stop Forceful Religious Conversions
2 years, 4 months ago

SC Lawyer & BJP’s Ashwini Upadhyay Urges Centre to Bring Tough Laws to Stop Forceful Religious Conversions

News 18  

Supreme Court lawyer and former Delhi BJP spokesperson Ashwini Upadhyay has appealed for tough law at the Centre to deal with matters relating to marriage and forceful religious conversions. In a letter to home minister Amit Shah and law minister Kiren Rijiju on August 31, Upadhyay argued that the right to change religion is “inherent” in the right to freedom …

Madras HC says will not hesitate to take serious action against forceful conversion in schools
2 years, 8 months ago

Madras HC says will not hesitate to take serious action against forceful conversion in schools

Op India  

Given rampant forceful conversions, on Thursday, the Madras High Court wondered why guidelines to prevent religious conversion in schools could not be framed and said that it would not hesitate to take serious action against the perpetrators who practice forceful conversion in the educational institutions in Tamil Nadu. It pondered why shouldn’t it direct the Tamil Nadu government to take …

'Don't See A Reason Why A Person Above 18 Can't Choose His Religion; There's A Reason Why The Word 'Propagate' Is There In Constitution' :Supreme Court
3 years, 9 months ago

'Don't See A Reason Why A Person Above 18 Can't Choose His Religion; There's A Reason Why The Word 'Propagate' Is There In Constitution' :Supreme Court

Live Law  

"I don't see a reason as to why any person above 18 cannot choose his religion. There is a reason why the word "propagate" is there in the Constitution", observed Supreme Court judge Justice Rohinton Faliman Nariman on Friday.The oral observation was made when a bench headed by him was hearing a PIL filed by Ashwini Upadhyaya seeking to control …

Plea in Supreme Court against Ordinances on religious conversion
4 years, 1 month ago

Plea in Supreme Court against Ordinances on religious conversion

The Hindu  

A petition was filed on Thursday in the Supreme Court to declare two ordinances, passed separately by Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand, criminalising religious conversion through marriage as unconstitutional. Two advocates and a law researcher have approached the court against the Uttar Pradesh Prohibition Of Unlawful Conversion of Religion Ordinance, 2020 and the Uttarakhand Freedom of Religion Act, 2018. Advocates Vishal …

"It Is One's Personal Choice To Follow Whatever Religion He Wants": Delhi HC Dismisses PIL Seeking To Control Religious Conversions
4 years, 9 months ago

"It Is One's Personal Choice To Follow Whatever Religion He Wants": Delhi HC Dismisses PIL Seeking To Control Religious Conversions

Live Law  

The Delhi High Court on Friday dismissed a plea moved by Advocate Ashwini Kumar Upadhyay seeking control on religious conversion through inducement or intimidation. He says: 'The mass religious conversion of the socially economically downtrodden men, women and children, and, in particular of the schedule caste and schedule tribe community, is on the rise in the last 20 years.' It …

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