Every charity, good work is welcome, but the purpose of charity cannot be conversion, observed the Supreme Court on Monday while considering a petition seeking stringent laws and steps on controlling the menace of forced religious conversions.
“We don’t want to delay the matters. Out of this one State would always come and ask for time. Otherwise it’ll be derailed. We’re here to set things right and we’re here for a cause. Everybody has the right to accept any religion as per freedom of religion. But not by force, allurement or fraudulent means. Every charity, good work welcome, but purpose of charity cannot be conversion,” said a two-judge bench of the top court headed by Justice MR Shah.
“If you believe that particular persons are to be helped, help them but it cannot be for conversion but what is required to be considered is the intention. It’s a serious issue and it’s against the basic structure of our Constitution when everyone stays in India they’re required to act as per culture and harmony of India,” the top court said further.
The bench, also comprising Justice CT Ravikumar, granted time to the central government to file a detailed counter after obtaining necessary information from states on the anti-conversion laws and other relevant information.
The court will now hear the matter next Monday. Recently, the Gujarat government filed an affidavit supporting the plea filed by advocate Ashwini Upadhyay seeking to stop the menace of religious conversions.
The Gujarat government in its affidavit filed before the top court had said that the Right to Freedom of Religion does not include a fundamental right to convert other people to a particular religion.
“Right to freedom of religion certainly does not include the right to convert an individual through fraud, deception, coercion, allurement or other such means,” the Gujarat government’s affidavit read.
Earlier, the central government in an affidavit filed in response to this petition had said that it is cognisant of the gravity and the seriousness of the issue. “It is submitted that such enactments are necessary for protecting cherished rights of vulnerable sections of the society including women and economically and socially backward classes,” said the Centre in its affidavit.
It added that public order is a state subject and in pursuance to the same various states over the course of the years passed enactments seeking to curb the practices highlighted in the petition.
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