NEW DELHI/BHOPAL — The Supreme Court has granted interim relief to a man accused in a religious conversion case in Madhya Pradesh, staying further criminal proceedings against him for the time being and issuing a notice in the matter. The case concerns allegations that a Hindu family was pressured into accepting Islam.
The order is a significant development in the ongoing legal dispute after the Madhya Pradesh High Court earlier refused to quash the case and allowed the trial process to continue.
A bench comprising Justice Manoj Misra and Justice Chandrashekhar passed the interim order while hearing a petition challenging the High Court’s decision. The Supreme Court directed that criminal proceedings against the accused remain stayed until the next hearing in the case.
The petition before the Supreme Court challenges an order of the Madhya Pradesh High Court, which had declined to cancel an FIR registered under provisions of the Madhya Pradesh Freedom of Religion Act.
The High Court had observed that it would be premature to terminate the proceedings at the current stage and that the actual facts of the case should be determined through a full trial and examination of evidence.
According to the complaint, the complainant’s husband allegedly accepted Islam around eight years ago after coming into contact with the accused. The complaint further alleges that pressure was later exerted on other members of the family, including the complainant, to embrace Islam.
The accused has consistently denied the allegations and argued that there is no material evidence to support claims of forced religious conversion.
Before the Supreme Court, the petitioner argued that the allegations against him are baseless and unsupported by evidence. According to the petition, there is nothing on record that proves he forced or coerced anyone to convert to Islam.
The petitioner also submitted that the complaint merely alleges that he advised or influenced the complainant’s husband regarding conversion. He argued that no specific role had been attributed to him in relation to the alleged conversion of the complainant or her children.
“There is no concrete evidence showing that the petitioner compelled anyone to change their religion,” the plea submitted before the court reportedly argued.
The petition further stated that the provisions invoked in the FIR were applied without sufficient supporting evidence and that the criminal case should therefore be quashed.
The Madhya Pradesh government opposed the plea and defended the continuation of the proceedings.
During earlier hearings before the High Court, the state government argued that investigators had recorded statements from several witnesses, including the complainant’s minor sons. According to the state, those statements pointed towards the involvement of the accused in the alleged conversion-related activities.
After considering the submissions from both sides, the High Court concluded that the accused’s exact role could only be properly assessed after evidence was presented during trial proceedings.
The court observed that questions regarding the truthfulness of allegations, the reliability of witness statements and the extent of the accused’s involvement required detailed examination during the trial process.
For that reason, the High Court declined to interfere with the investigation and rejected the accused’s request to quash the FIR.
Following the High Court’s refusal to grant relief, the accused approached the Supreme Court seeking intervention.
Hearing the matter, the Supreme Court issued notice and granted interim protection to the petitioner. The bench ordered that criminal proceedings against him remain suspended until further orders.
Legal observers note that the Supreme Court’s order does not amount to a final decision on the merits of the case. Rather, it provides temporary relief while the court examines the issues raised in the petition and hears arguments from all parties involved.
The case relates to provisions of the Madhya Pradesh Freedom of Religion Act, legislation that governs religious conversion and provides penalties in cases involving allegations of conversion through force, fraud, coercion or inducement.
The Supreme Court’s decision to stay proceedings has brought temporary relief to the accused, but the legal battle is far from over. The court is expected to consider the matter in greater detail during future hearings after receiving responses from the concerned parties.
Until then, the criminal proceedings against the accused will remain on hold, while the Supreme Court continues its examination of the challenge to the High Court’s order.
