The Supreme Court on Friday protected Vice-Chancellor of Sam Higginbottom University of Agriculture, Technology and Sciences (SHUATS) Rajendra Bihari Lal and Institute Director Vinod Bihari Lal from arrest in a mass religious conversion case.
A Bench led by Chief Justice of India D.Y. Chandrachud listed the case urgently hours after it was mentioned in the morning by senior advocate Siddharth Dave, who is appearing for Mr. Lal. The court issued notice and listed the case after three weeks.
The case was registered in April 2022 on the basis of a complaint that "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".
The FIR was registered under provisions of the Indian Penal Code and the Uttar Pradesh Prohibition of Unlawful Conversion of Religion Act.
Mr. Dave said Mr. Lal was named in the FIR, and his name was added at a subsequent stage on the basis of statements given by interested witnesses.
HC order
The Allahabad High Court had however, in February 2023, refused anticipatory bail to the Vice-Chancellor.
"It can also be interpreted in a manner that the allegations of mass conversion as levelled against the applicants, who are influential persons, and they are channelising the funds collected from overseas groups for the above purpose, such act shows the gravity of offence, therefore, the instant case is not fit for grant of anticipatory bail as the issue of security and violation of citizens’ right to freedom of conscience and right to freely profess, practice and propagate religion is involved," the High Court had reasoned in its order on February 28.
"My client is the Vice-Chancellor and the second one is the director. In Fatehpur, some FIR is lodged that some religious conversion is going on. I am in Allahabad. Eight months later I am asked to join in. They said issue non-bailable warrants," Mr. Dave argued.
