'Majority Population Of This Country Would Be In Minority One Day': Allahabad HC Expresses Concern On Rampant Religious Conversions

The Allahabad High Court has said that religious congregations where conversions are taking place should be stopped.

The Court further expressed concern that the country’s "majority population would be in minority" if such gatherings are allowed.

The Allahabad High Court was hearing on Monday (1 July) the bail petition of Kailash, who was accused of taking people from Hamirpur in Uttar Pradesh to a gathering in Delhi for conversions.

The court's order says that according to the FIR, Kailash took Ramkali Prajapati's brother Ramphal to Delhi and he never returned home.

Ramphal, the FIR has said, had been suffering from mental illness and Kailash said that he will be treated at the gathering in Delhi and will be home in a week.

When Ramphal did not return, she asked Kailash but did not get a satisfactory reply.

The FIR further alleges that many people from Hamirpur village were taken to Delhi and converted to Christianity.

Kailash was arrested under charges of kidnapping and provisions of the UP Prohibition of Unlawful Conversion of Religion Act, 2021.

The Uttar Pradesh government’s counsel, Additional Advocate General PK Giri, told the court that a huge number of people are being converted at such gatherings.

He also pointed to statements of witnesses who have said Kailash had been taking people from the village for conversion and was getting paid in return.

Kailash’s counsel, Saket Jaiswal, argued that Ramphal merely attended a Christian gathering and was not converted.

He noted that Sonu Paster, who held the gathering, had already been granted bail.

Justice Rohit Ranjan Agarwal said in his order that Article 25 of the Constitution provides for freedom of conscience and free profession, practice, and propagation of religion, but does not provide for conversion from one faith to another faith.

"The word 'Propagation' means to promote, but it does not mean to convert any person from his religion to another religion," the order says.

The court noted that Ramphal never returned to the village and that several witnesses have accused Kailash of taking away people for conversion.

"If this process is allowed to be carried out, the majority population of this country would be in minority one day, and such religious congregation should be immediately stopped where the conversion is taking place and changing religion of citizen of India," the court said, while denying bail to Kailash, NDTV reported.

"It has come into notice of this Court in several cases that unlawful activity of conversion of people of SC/ST castes and other castes including economically poor persons into Christianity is being done at rampant pace throughout the State of Uttar Pradesh," it added

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