New Delhi, Dec 5, 2022: On Monday, the Supreme Court reiterated that forced religious conversion is a “serious issue” and it is against the Constitution.
The court was hearing a plea filed by advocate Ashwini Kumar Upadhyay seeking direction to the Centre and states to initiate stringent steps to prevent fraudulent religious conversion by “intimidation, threatening, deceivingly luring through gifts and monetary benefits”.
The Centre mentioned to the court that it is collecting information from states on religious conversion through such means.
The apex court stated that forced religious conversion is a very serious matter. Appearing before a bench of Justices M R Shah and C T Ravikumar, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta requested the court for some time to furnish detailed information pertaining to the issue.
When a lawyer questioned the maintainability of the plea, the bench said,”Do not be so technical. We are here to find a solution. We are here for a cause. We are here to set things right. If the purpose of the charity is good then it is welcome but what is required to be considered is the intention.”
“Do not take it as adversarial. It is a very serious issue. Ultimately it is against our Constitution. When everyone stays in India, they have to act per the culture of India,” the bench observed.
