Supreme Court Stays Case Against Christian Priest Over ‘Only True Religion’ Remark, Seeks UP Response

A Bench of Justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta issued notice to the State of Uttar Pradesh on the priest’s plea challenging the March 18 order of the Allahabad High Court, which had refused to quash the criminal proceedings against him. The apex court directed that further proceedings, including the trial, shall remain stayed during the pendency of the matter.

Appearing for the petitioner, Senior Advocate Siddharth Dave submitted that the case against the priest had been registered under Section 295A of the Indian Penal Code, which criminalises deliberate and malicious acts intended to outrage religious sentiments. He argued that the allegations did not satisfy the ingredients of the offence and sought interim protection from coercive proceedings. The Bench agreed to the request and granted a stay on the proceedings.

The case stems from an FIR lodged by the Uttar Pradesh Police alleging that Father Pereira, during prayer meetings, repeatedly stated that Christianity was the only true religion, thereby hurting the religious sentiments of members of another community. While the investigating officer reportedly found no evidence of illegal religious conversion, a chargesheet was filed on the basis of allegations that the priest had criticised other religions.

Before the High Court, the petitioner had contended that he had been falsely implicated and that the Magistrate took cognisance of the chargesheet without proper application of judicial mind. It was argued that no offence under Section 295A IPC was made out on the facts of the case.

Opposing the plea, the State government had submitted that the matter involved disputed questions of fact that required examination during trial. It argued that at the stage of cognisance, the court is only required to determine whether a prima facie case exists and not conduct a detailed evaluation of evidence.

In its March 18 order, Justice Saurabh Srivastava of the High Court had declined to interfere with the proceedings. The Court observed that India is a secular country where multiple faiths coexist, and it would be inappropriate for any individual to claim that their religion alone is the “only true religion,” as such assertions could imply disparagement of other beliefs. “It is wrong for any religion to claim that it is the only true religion as it implies a disparagement of other faiths,” the High Court had noted, adding that such statements prima facie fall within the ambit of Section 295A IPC.

The High Court had further emphasised that at the stage of taking cognisance, a Magistrate is not expected to conduct a “mini-trial” or examine the defence in detail. It held that the allegations in the FIR disclosed a prima facie case warranting continuation of criminal proceedings.

Challenging this decision, Father Pereira approached the Supreme Court seeking quashing of the chargesheet and the trial court’s order.

Taking note of the submissions, the Supreme Court has now granted interim relief by staying further proceedings and issuing notice to the State government.

Case Title: Vineet Vincent Pereira v. State of UP

Bench: Justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta

Hearing Date: April 10, 2026