Supreme Court Extends Stay On Arrest Of 'SHUATS' VC, Director In Case For Alleged Mass Religious Conversions Till Further Orders

The Supreme Court today extended interim protection from arrest to the Vice Chancellor (Dr.) Rajendra Bihari Lal and Director Vinod Bihari Laland of Sam Higginbottom University of Agriculture, Technology and Sciences (formerly Allahabad Agricultural Institute) in connection with the alleged mass religious conversion case. The matter was listed before a bench comprising CJI DY Chandrachud, Justice PS Narasimha, and Justice Manoj Misra.

Earlier, the Apex Court had stayed the arrest of the applicants. Today, the court stated that until further orders, the arrest shall remain stayed. CJI DY Chandrachud said-

"We will extend the time to file counter by four weeks and we will extend they stay until further orders."

The FIR, in this case, was lodged in April 2022 on the complaint filed by one Himanshu Dixit with the allegations that about 90 persons of Hindu religion have been congregated at Evangelical Church of India, Hariharganj, Fatehpur for the purpose of their conversion to Christianity by putting them under undue influence, coercion and luring them by playing fraud and promise of easy money, etc.

On receiving this information, the Government officers reached the place and interrogated the pastor Vijay Massiah, who allegedly disclosed that the process for conversion was going on for the last 34 days and that this process shall be completed within 40 days. The present applicant was not named in the FIR, however, he was implicated at a subsequent stage on the basis of statements given by two interested witnesses and Investigating Officer of the case as being biased against the applicant.

He also allegedly told that they have been trying to convert even patients admitted to the Mission Hospital and the employees play an active role in the same. Pursuant to this, the Government officers found 35 persons (named in the F.I.R.) and 20 unknown persons as having been involved in this conversion of 90 persons of the Hindu community to Christianity.

The FIR was registered under Sections 153A, 506, 420, 467, 468 I.P.C. and Sections- 3/5(1) of Uttar Pradesh Prohibition of Unlawful Conversion of Religion Act

Case Title: Vinod Bihari Lal Vs State of UP | SLP(Crl) No. 5376-5377/2023