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Synopsis

The Supreme Court today provided interim protection from arrest to the Vice Chancellor and Director of Sam Higginbottom University of Agriculture, Technology and Sciences (formerly Allahabad Agricultural Institute) in connection with a mass religious conversion case.

Senior Advocate Siddharth Dave had mentioned the matter in the morning today before a bench comprising CJI DY Chandrachud with Justices PS Narasimha and JB Pardiwala. 

"We will hear after mentioning", the CJI had then remarked. 

When the matter was taken up, Dave informed the bench that while the FIR was made in Fatehpur, his client had not been named in it.

"..they come and raid my university, I have supplied all documents and have joined the investigation", Dave further told the bench.

"Any allegation against you in FIR", asked the CJI to which Dave responded saying, "Nothing against me in FIR."

The bench accordingly issued notice to the state, returnable in three weeks.

Court was further told that the Allahabad High Court had denied anticipatory bail to the two petitioners.

Noting that they were influential persons and their intent behind the charitable works appeared to be dubious, Justice Manju Rani Chauhan had said that they can't claim parity with other persons who have been released on anticipatory bail.

The FIR was lodged in April 2022 on the complaint filed by one Himanshu Dixit with the allegations that about 90 persons of Hindu religion had 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.

Government officers had then reached the place and interrogated the pastor Vijay Massiah, who allegedly disclosed that the process for conversion was going on for the last 34 days and that this process shall be completed within 40 days.