Allahabad HC raises alarm over religious conversions, Warns majority turning to minority
The FIR also alleged that many people from Hamirpur village were taken to Delhi and converted to Christianity
The Allahabad High Court has voiced serious concerns about the rise in religious conversions, warning that if unchecked, the country’s majority population could one day become a minority. The court emphasized the need to stop religious gatherings where conversions are taking place.
On July 1, the High Court was hearing the bail petition of Kailash, who was accused of taking people from Hamirpur, Uttar Pradesh, to a gathering in Delhi for religious conversion. According to the FIR, Kailash took Ramkali Prajapati’s brother, Ramphal, who never returned home. Ramphal, who had been suffering from mental illness, was told he would receive treatment at the Delhi gathering and be home within a week. When he did not return, Ramkali confronted Kailash but received no satisfactory explanation.
The FIR also alleged that many people from Hamirpur village were taken to Delhi and converted to Christianity. Kailash was arrested under charges of kidnapping and under the provisions of the UP Prohibition of Unlawful Conversion of Religion Act, 2021.
The Uttar Pradesh government’s counsel, Additional Advocate General PK Giri, argued that a significant number of people were being converted at such gatherings. Witnesses claimed that Kailash was taking villagers for conversion in exchange for payment.
Kailash’s lawyer, Saket Jaiswal, contended that Ramphal merely attended a Christian gathering and was not converted. He also noted that Sonu Pastor, who organized the gathering, had already been granted bail.
Justice Rohit Ranjan Agarwal highlighted that Article 25 of the Constitution guarantees freedom of conscience and the right to freely profess, practice, and propagate religion, but does not allow for conversion from one faith to another. The court emphasized that “propagation” means to promote one’s religion, not to convert others.
The court noted that Ramphal never returned and that multiple witnesses accused Kailash of taking people for conversion. Justice Agarwal warned that allowing such practices could result in the country’s majority population becoming a minority. He called for an immediate halt to religious gatherings where conversions are taking place, while denying bail to Kailash.
The court remarked, “It has come into the notice of this Court in several cases that unlawful activity of conversion of people of SC/ST castes and other economically disadvantaged persons into Christianity is being done at a rampant pace throughout the State of Uttar Pradesh.”
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