New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Monday noted that 'religious conversion is a serious issue which should not be given a political colour'. A bench of Justices M R Shah and C T Ravikumar was hearing the petition a check on religious conversions through "intimidation, threatening, deceivingly luring through gifts and monetary benefits", while asking Attorney General R Venkataramani to assist as amicus curiae.
The court sought assistance from Attorney General R Venkataramani on a plea seeking direction to the Centre and states to take stringent steps to control fraudulent religious conversions. "We want your assistance also, AG. Religious conversions by force, allurement etc. There are ways and ways, anything by allurement, if that is happening, when what should be done? What are the corrective measures?" the bench said.
At the outset, senior advocate P Wilson, appearing for Tamil Nadu, called the petition a "politically motivated" PIL, insisting there was no question of such conversions in the state. Objecting to the remark, the bench told Wilson that he may have different reasons to be agitated but 'don't convert court proceedings into other things. We are concerned for the entire state. If it is happening in your state, it is bad. If not, good. Do not see it as targeting one state. Do not make it political."
The petition was filed by advocate Ashwini Kumar Upadhyay, seeking direction from the Centre and states to take tough steps to control fraudulent religious conversions. The top court had also recently remarked that forced religious conversion may pose a danger to national security and impinge on the religious freedom of citizens. It had also asked the Centre to step in and make sincere efforts to tackle the "very serious" issue. It had further warned a "very difficult situation" will emerge if proselytisation through deception, allurement and intimidation is not stopped.
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Advocate Upadhyay has said in his petiton that forced religious conversion is a nationwide problem which needs to be tackled immediately. "The injury caused to the citizens is extremely large because there is not even one district which is free of religious conversion by 'hook and crook'," he claimed in the petition.
"Incidents are reported every week throughout the country where conversion is done by intimidating, threatening, deceivingly luring through gifts and monetary benefits and also by using black magic, superstition, miracles but Centre and States have not taken stringent steps to stop this menace," said the plea filed through advocate Ashwani Kumar Dubey.
At an earlier hearing, the Gujarat government had told the apex court that freedom of religion does not include the right to convert others and requested it to vacate a high court stay on the provision of a state law that mandates prior permission of the district magistrate for conversion through marriage. The Supreme Court had on September 23 sought responses from the Centre and others to the plea.
Advocate Upadhyay's plea has also sought directions to the Law Commission of India to prepare a report as well as a Bill to control religious conversion by intimidation and through monetary benefits. The matter will be heard next on February 7.
