Describing conversion as a serious issue, the Supreme Court said on Monday that it should not be given a political colour. The court sought the help of Attorney General R Venkataramani on a plea seeking direction to the Center and states to take strict action to stop fraudulent conversions.
Court sought help from Attorney General
A bench of Justices MR Shah and CT Ravikumar asked Venkataramani to appear in a matter in which the petitioner has sought a ban on conversions through “fraud by way of intimidation, threats, gifts and monetary benefits”. urged. The bench asked Venkataramani to assist in the matter as an amicus curiae.
It said, ‘We want your help too, Attorney General. Conversion by force, allurement – what are the methods, and if anything is happening by inducement, what should be done? What are the remedial measures?’ At the outset, senior advocate P Wilson, appearing for Tamil Nadu, called the petition a “politically motivated” PIL. He said that there is no question of such conversions in the state.
Court objected to Tamil Nadu lawyer’s remarks
Taking objection to this, the bench remarked, ‘You may have different reasons for getting 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 it is not happening, then it is good. Don’t see this as targeting a state. Don’t make it a political issue.’
The court was hearing a plea filed by advocate Ashwini Kumar Upadhyay, seeking a direction to the Center and states to take stringent measures to control fraudulent conversions. The apex court had recently said that forced conversions could pose a threat to national security and affect the religious freedom of citizens. It asked the Center to make serious efforts to deal with the “extremely serious” issue.
The court had warned that if conversions carried out through deception, allurement and intimidation were not stopped, a ‘very difficult situation’ would arise. The Gujarat government had told the top court in an earlier hearing that freedom of religion does not include the right to convert others. It sought to set aside the High Court’s stay on a provisional in the state law that mandates prior permission of the District Magistrate for conversion through marriage.
Also Read: Uttar Pradesh: 5 arrested in Lucknow for lowering electricity metre reading
Keep watching our YouTube Channel ‘DNP INDIA’. Also, please subscribe and follow us on FACEBOOK, INSTAGRAM, and TWITTER.