India’s top court has called forced and deceitful conversions “a serious matter” and sought assistance from the federal government’s top law officer in seeking steps to stop them.
“Religious conversions by force, allurement, etc… if that is happening then what should be done? What are the corre-ctive measures?” the Supreme Court bench of Justice M R Shah and Justice C T Ravikumar observed on Jan. 9 while discussing a petition.
The court also requested Attorney General R. Venkata-ramani to act “as amicus curiae or otherwise in any form” in the matter. The bench was hearing a public interest litigation filed by Ashwini Upadhyay, a lawyer and member of the pro-Hindu Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), seeking a national law to check religious conversions through force and other fraudulent means.
The judges brushed aside questions about the maintain-ability of the petition and the credibility of Upadhyay raised by P. Wilson, government counsel of the southern state of Tamil Nadu.
Wilson said the petition for a national anti-conversion law was politically motivated.
“Leave this matter to the legislature. There is no threat of conversion in our state. This is a politically motivated litigation. He [Upadhyay] has made Tamil Nadu, the state govern-ment, a party,” Wilson said, according to The Hindu.
The Court also directed the federal government to step in and make efforts to tackle the “very serious issue” of proselytization through deception, allurement and intimidation.
(See Focus)