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Synopsis

The Supreme Court today has granted anticipatory bail to Vice Chancellor and other officials of the Sam Higginbottom University of Agriculture Technology and Science (SHUATS) in an illegal mass religious conversion case.

A bench of Justices JB Pardiwala and Manoj Misra has made the court's earlier order of protection absolute.

Notably in December 2023, a vacation bench of the Supreme Court of India had stayed the Allahabad High Court's order directing the Vice Chancellor and other officials of the Sam Higginbottom University of Agriculture Technology and Science (SHUATS) to surrender before the court by December 20, 2023.

In said order, the High Court also refused to quash an FIR against the Vice Chancellor and other officials for allegedly coercing a woman into adopting Christianity by offering her employment and other inducements.

Notably, the High Court in its impugned order emphasized that no genuine religious entity would condone such malpractices. The bench, comprising Justice Rahul Chaturvedi and Justice Mohd. Azhar Husain Idrisi, stated that no authentic religious institution, whether it be a Church, Temple, or Mosque, would endorse such misconduct by priests or spiritual leaders.

"No God or true Church or Temple or Mosque would approve such type of malpractices. If someone on his own, have chosen to get him converted to different religion is totally another aspect of the issue. In the instant case prevailing upon a tender mind of a young girl providing gifts, clothing and other physical amenities and then asked her to get her baptised is an unpardonable sin," said the high court.

The FIR, filed in November 2023, alleged that the victim, a lower-middle-class woman, was lured into Christianity through gifts and clothing, with the accused, including the SHUATS VC, allegedly pressuring her to bring other women for conversion and illegal activities. The victim claimed she was also subjected to regular sexual exploitation.

The court noted that the victim, influenced by a higher priest, was manipulated into adopting Christianity for the promise of job security. Despite arguments by the accused that the victim fabricated the story in retaliation for her job termination in 2022, the court found the allegations serious and horrifying.

UP police had vehemently opposed any relief to them alleging that they had received over Rs 34 crores from several foreign countries and used it for illegal conversion.

"During the course of Investigation it has been found that the since 2005 around Rs 34,44,54,855.00 has been received in the FCRA account of SHUATS from various countries including USA, Afghanistan, Japan, Libya Iraq, Germany, Canada, Guyana, Uganda, Ethopia, Bahrain, Netherlands, Phillipines, Rwanda, Sri Lanka, United Kingdom, Australia, Nepal, Bhutan and Nigeria," it had told top court.

Case Title: Rajendra Bihari Lal And Ors vs. The State Of Uttar Pradesh And Ors