Religious conversion a serious issue, should not be given political colour: SC

SC was hearing a petition seeking direction to the Centre and states to take tough steps to control fraudulent religious conversions

The Supreme Court on Monday said religious conversion is a serious issue which should not be given a political colour.

The top court sought assistance of Attorney General R Venkataramani to decide a plea for stringent steps to control fraudulent religious conversions.

A bench of Justices M R Shah and C T Ravikumar asked him to appear in the plea, seeking measures to check on religious conversions through "intimidation, threatening, deceivingly luring through gifts and monetary benefits", and assist as amicus curiae.

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Hearing a PIL by advocate Ashwini Kumar Upadhyay, the bench told the AG, "We want your assistance. Religious conversions by force, allurement, etc. There are ways and ways, anything by allurement, if that is happening, then what should be done? What are the corrective measures?"

Senior advocate P Wilson, appearing for Tamil Nadu, termed the plea by Upadhyay as a "politically motivated" PIL. He said there was no question of such conversions in the state.

Taking objection to his remark, the bench told Wilson, "You may have different reasons to be agitated like this. 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."

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The court ordered renaming the cause title 'In Re: Issue of Religious Conversion' as lawyers objected to the petition filed by Upadhyay in his own name.

Upadhyay claimed legal vacuum on the issue has led to deployment of “unethical predatory conversion strategies” to convert socially and economically backward citizens.

On December 5, the top court had observed that religious conversion should not be the purpose of charity and forced religious conversion is a "serious issue" which is against the spirit of the Constitution.