'Majority population would be minority one day, if..: Allahabad High Court

Lucknow: The Allahabad High Court on Monday said that conversions taking place at religious congregations should be stopped, NDTV reported.

The court added that if these gatherings are allowed to happen the country's "majority population would be in minority".

The court made the observation when it was hearing the bail petition of a man who is accused of taking people to religious conversions.

Kailash was accused of taking people from Hamirpur in Uttar Pradesh to a gathering in Delhi for conversions.

The court’s order citing FIR said that Kailash had taken Ramkali Prajapati's brother Ramphal to Delhi who never returned home.

Kailash promised that Ramphal, who was suffering from mental illness, would be treated at the gathering in Delhi and be back home in a week.

When Ramkali Prajapati confronted Kailash asking about Ramphal, he did not give any ‘satisfactory reply’, NDTV reported citing FIR.

Kailash was arrested and charged with kidnapping and provisions of UP Prohibition of Unlawful Conversion of Religion Act, 2021.

The FIR claimed that many people from the Hamirpur village were converted to Christianity at the Delhi gathering.

The Uttar Pradesh government's counsel, Additional Advocate General PK Giri told the court that large number of people are being converted to Christianity at such gatherings.

He also added that, citing witnesses’ statements, Kailash who had been taking people to the gatherings was getting paid for it.

Meanwhile, Kailash's counsel Saket Jaiswal argued that Ramphal had only attended a Christian gathering but was not converted to Christianity.

"It was Sonu Paster who was holding such gathering, and he has already been enlarged on bail," he was quoted as arguing.

Justice Rohit Ranjan Agarwal in his order said that Article25 of the Constitution does not provide for conversion from one faith to another faith while still allowing freedom of conscience and free profession, practice, and propagation of religion.

"The word 'Propagation' means to promote, but it does not mean to convert any person from his religion to another religion," the order reportedly said.

Denying bail to the accused, Kailash, the court said: "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."

Adding further the court said: "It has come into notice of this Court in several cases that unlawful activity of conversion of people of SC/ST castes and other castes including economically poor persons into Christianity is being done at rampant pace throughout the State of Uttar Pradesh."