Allahabad HC's General Observations On Religious Conversions & 'Majority Becoming Minority' Were Uncalled For: Supreme Court

The Supreme Court has expressed disapproval of the general observation made by the Allahabad High Court that if conversions in religious congregations were not stopped, India's majority population would become in minority.

The Supreme Court observed that "the general observations made by the High Court had no bearing on the facts of the present case and were, therefore, not required for the disposal of the case."

"The observations, therefore, shall not be cited in any other case or proceeding in the High Court or in any other Court," said the bench comprising Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud and Justice Manoj Misra while granting bail to a person accused in a case under the Uttar Pradesh Prohibition of Unlawful Conversion of Religion Act, 2021.

On August 27, the Supreme Court had granted interim bail to the accused, considering the fact that he had been under custody since May 21, 2023. Yesterday, the Court confirmed the interim bail.

The observations were made by the Allahabad High Court in its order passed on July 1 while denying bail to a man who was accused of taking people from his village to a social gathering in Delhi to convert them to Christianity.

Justice Rohit Ranjan Agarwal of the High Court observed, "If this process is allowed to be carried out, the majority population of this country would be in minority one day, and such religious congregation should be immediately stopped where the conversion is taking place and changing religion of citizen of India."

Senior Advocate Siddharth Aggarwal appeared for the petitioner.

Additional Advocate General Garima Prashad appeared for the State.

Case : Kailash v. State of Uttar Pradesh SLP (CrL) 11258/2024

Click here to read the order