A court in Uttar Pradesh has ruled that giving out Bibles or preaching a religion cannot be treated as a crime. The Allahabad High Court criticised the state police for filing what it called a baseless case of forced religious conversion against a group of Christians in Sultanpur district.
The case was filed on August 17 against Ram Kewal Bharti and others after police accused them of creating a law and order problem and carrying out religious conversion. When Justices Abdul Moin and Babita Rani examined the police records, they found that the complaint only mentioned the recovery of an LED device and accused the group of distributing Bibles. The judges said there was no sign that anyone had been converted or pressured to convert.
The bench said in its order dated November 28, which became public on December 8, that a charge of forced conversion requires a person to claim coercion, allurement or an actual conversion. The judges said such a person did not exist in this case. They also criticised the police for adding conversion charges through a supplementary charge sheet after two months even though there was still no victim.
The court asked why the accused were arrested without any evidence and noted that the records suggested they were actually defending themselves from intruders who entered their prayer meeting. When the state lawyer tried to justify the police action, the judges asked him to show any law that makes distributing the Bible or preaching a crime. The lawyer could not provide an answer.
The court then issued a notice to the complainant, Manoj Kumar Singh, asking him to explain the basis of his allegations and how he gathered people to enter the prayer gathering. The court also asked him to share whether he had any criminal history. Singh has been given two weeks to respond, and the next hearing is set for four weeks later. The petition before the court seeks cancellation of the police case.
Catholic leader A.C. Michael welcomed the decision. He said the court had rightly upheld the constitutional right to practice and share one’s faith, but added that action should also be taken against officials who harass innocent Christians with false cases. Pastor Joy Mathew, who helps Christians in Uttar Pradesh with legal matters, said the case is part of a larger pattern. He said this is yet another example of Christians being pulled into false conversion cases and noted that no real action is ever taken against police officers who break the law.
Uttar Pradesh has reported 209 incidents of alleged Christian persecution this year, the highest in the country, according to the United Christian Forum. Christians form less than one percent of the state’s population of more than 200 million.
