Prayagraj: The Allahabad High Court dismissed a Christian priest's plea to quash a chargesheet under IPC Section 295A, ruling that no religion can claim to be the only true one in India's secular fabric.
Justice Saurabh Srivastava, in an order dated March 18, observed: "India is a land where people of all faiths and beliefs, in a secular state as defined by the Constitution of India, live together. Therefore, it is wrong for any religion to claim that it is the only true religion as it implies a disparagement of other faiths."
The 2023 FIR at Mau's Muhammadabad police station accused the priest of repeatedly declaring Christianity the sole true religion during prayer meetings, outraging Hindu sentiments. He challenged the February 2024 chargesheet and May cognizance by a local court.
The priest's counsel argued false implication to harass him, denied illegal conversions or anti-religion speeches, and claimed the IO found no conversions yet filed the chargesheet unfairly. They sought quashing as an abuse of process.
The additional government advocate countered that such claims involved disputed facts needing evidence appreciation, unfit for this stage.
The court held Section 295A covers deliberate acts to outrage religious feelings. At cognizance, magistrates need only a prima facie view from records, not a mini-trial or defense scrutiny. The plea lacked merit and was dismissed.