Indian court says preaching OK under anti-conversion laws

The Allahabad High Court criticised the Uttar Pradesh Police for what it described as “bending backward” to make arrests even though no victims had come forward.

Uttar Pradesh passed the Unlawful Conversion of Religion Act 2021 nearly five years ago, with Christians accusing the government of discrimination.

The complaint before the court against Christian missionaries was launched by a Hindu nationalist who said that a prayer meeting was being conducted with the intention of converting Dalits and economically weaker individuals. He said the accused were “preaching the tenets of Christianity” and distributing Bibles.

But the Court said the law only prohibits conversion through misrepresentation, force, undue influence or allurement.

“Thus, it is prima facie apparent that the authorities have bent themselves backward in order to arrest the petitioner(s) even though it is not known as to how the complainant had got information about any offence,” the court stated.

Bishop Ignatius D’Souza of Bareilly in Uttar Pradesh said the court’s statement shows that anti-conversion laws, as implemented, risk being used not just against “forced conversion”, but peaceful religious activity.

“That can enable harassment, intimidation or arbitrary arrests of religious minorities – especially vulnerable groups,” he told Crux.

The bishop said the fact that a formal complaint was filed without a complainant stepping forward suggests a pattern of “third-party complaints” is being used to trigger criminal proceedings, “which undermines the spirit of such laws”.

The court statement “signals a judicial pushback against misuse of laws – which is important for maintaining rule of law and preventing communal or political misuse of legal provisions”, he added.

Bishop D’Souza said the court has now set judicial boundaries on police powers and demands adherence to due process.

Uttar Pradesh is the most populous state in India, with nearly 200 million people. About 350,000 Christians live in the state.

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Court in India says anti-conversion laws don’t stop preaching Christianity (By Nirmala Carvalho/CruxNow)