Supreme Court Stays Arrest Of 'SHUATS' VC, Director In Case For Alleged Mass Religious Conversions

The Supreme Court of India stayed the arrest of 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 a mass religious conversion case. The matter was mentioned by Senior Advocate Siddharth Dave before a bench comprising CJI DY Chandrachud, Justice PS Narasimha, and Justice JB Pardiwala and was taken on board for the same day. The bench while staying the arrest of the petitioners pending further orders also issued notice to the State of Uttar Pradesh. 

Senior Advocate Siddharth Dave, mentioned the matter today morning before CJI DY Chandrachud seeking urgent listing.

"This is a vice chancellor of a very prominent university in Allahabad. Allahabad Agriculture University. He is being hounded under religious conversion laws."

CJI agreed to hear the matter at the end of the board. Once the matter was taken up, Dave submitted–

"My client is the Vice Chancellor and the second one is director. In Fatehpur some FIR is lodged that some religious conversion is going on. I'm in Allahabad. I am not even named in the FIR. Eight months later I'm asked to join in. They come and raid my university, they issue non bailable warrants. I approach High Court and High Court dismissed my anticipatory bail application."

When CJI DY Chandrachud asked if there were any allegations against him, Dave reiterated that the petitioners were not even named in the FIR. He said–

"This is based on two statements under 164- one is by a disgruntled employee and one is by a student who was rusticated for sexually harassing another student. Those are the allegations."

The bench issued notice to the State of UP in the matter and stated–

"Pending further orders, there shall be a stay on the arrest of the petitioners."

Earlier, the Allahabad High Court had denied anticipatory bail to the two petitioners in the matter. Noting that they were influential persons and their intent behind the charitable works appears to be dubious, affecting the interest of a marginal section of society, the bench of Justice Manju Rani Chauhan had said that they can't claim parity with other persons who have been released on anticipatory bail.

The FIR, in this case, was lodged last year in April 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

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