New Delhi: Describing forced conversion as a 'serious issue', the Supreme Court has said that it is against the Constitution. The Supreme Court has said that it cannot be allowed to convert anyone in the name of charity. Center and states have been instructed to file detailed affidavits in this regard. The top court said this on Monday (December 5) questioning the intentions of missionaries and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) who convert under the guise of charity. The court said that enticing people by giving medicines and food grains and converting them is a very serious issue. Every good deed is welcome, but it is necessary to check the intention behind it. The Supreme Court was hearing a petition filed by advocate Ashwini Kumar Upadhyay.
Upadhyay has urged the Supreme Court to direct the Central Government to take strict steps in this regard, so that conversions can be stopped by intimidation, by giving gifts, or allurement of money. A two-judge bench headed by Justice Shah is hearing the matter. In the last hearing (14 November), the court had termed forced conversion as dangerous for the security of the country. The central government also agreed with this and said that 9 states have made laws against it. The Center will also take the necessary steps. Solicitor General (SG) Tushar Mehta told the bench that they are collecting data on forced conversions from all the states. For this, he sought a week's time from the court. The next hearing of the case will be on December 12, 2022. The Solicitor General said, ''There should be a committee to look into cases of religious conversion.''
The court said, 'This is a very serious matter. Charity and social service are good things, but there should not be any ulterior motive behind the conversion.' When a lawyer questioned the validity of this petition, the court said that there is no need to be so technical. We are sitting here to find solutions. We are here for a purpose. We are here to set things right. If the motive behind this petition is charity, we welcome it. But here it is necessary to pay attention to the intention.
Petitioner Ashwini Upadhyay has demanded that a separate law be framed to prevent such cases of religious conversions or this crime should be included in the Indian Penal Code (IPC). It has also been stated in the petition that this issue is not related to any one place, but is the problem of the whole country, which needs immediate attention.
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