Distributing bibles not an ‘allurement for conversions’: Allahabad HC

Justice Shamim Ahmad's bench grants appeal for bail in Jose Papachen and Sheeja's case.

Lucknow: The Lucknow bench of the Allahabad High Court has said that distributing the Holy Bible and imparting good teachings cannot be termed as an “allurement for religious conversion” under the Uttar Pradesh Prohibition of Unlawful Conversion of Religion Act.

The high court also said a stranger cannot lodge FIRs under the Act and granted bail to two accused booked for allegedly luring people from the Scheduled Caste and the Scheduled Tribe communities for conversion to Christianity.

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A bench of Justice Shamim Ahmad passed the order allowing an appeal against the rejection of the bail pleas of Jose Papachen and Sheeja.

The appellants were sent to jail after the police registered an FIR on the basis of a complaint filed by a BJP functionary in Ambedkar Nagar district on January 24.

The BJP leader had alleged that the two accused were luring people from the Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe communities to convert to Christianity.

Justice Ahmad observed, “Providing teaching, distributing the Holy Bible, encouraging children to get an education, organising assembly of villagers and performing bhandara, instructing the villagers not to enter into an altercation and not to take liquor does not amount to allurement under the 2021 Act.”

The bench further said the Act provided that only an aggrieved person or his family can lodge FIRs in the matter.

It was argued on behalf of the appellants that they were innocent and implicated due to political rivalry.