Allahabad HC Junk’s plea for protection of interfaith live-in couples, quotes UP’s ‘Anti-Conversion’ law
Dismissing the plea seeking protection of a Hindu-Muslim couple, the Allahabad High Court noted that the Uttar Pradesh Prohibition of Unlawful Conversion of Religion Act, 2021, has made it mandatory for interfaith couples to seek conversion as per its provisions.
Uttar Pradesh News: The Allahabad High Court has noted that Uttar Pradesh’s anti-conversion law covers not only marriages but also live-in relationships. The Supreme Court made this observation in a recent judgment while rejecting a plea for police protection of an interfaith couple.
Dismissing a Hindu-Muslim couple’s plea for police protection, Justice Renu Agarwal noted that the Uttar Pradesh Prohibition of Unlawful Conversion of Religion Act, 2021, has made it mandatory for interfaith couples to seek conversion as per its provisions.
Justice Agarwal noted that the anti-conversion law applies not only to marriages but also to live-in relationships.
The top court noted that the petitioners have not filed an application for religious conversion under the law in accordance with the Anti-Conversion Act and hence they cannot get police protection.
“In this case, none of the petitioners admittedly filed an application for conversion of religion in accordance with Sections 8 and 9 of the Act. Therefore, the relationship of the petitioners cannot be protected in violation of the provisions of law,” the court said.
Denying protection to the interfaith couple, the court said, “Till date, no FIR has been filed by the parents of any of the petitioners, therefore, there is no challenge to the relationship of the petitioners.”
Section 3(1) of the Act prohibits religious conversion by “misrepresentation, force, undue influence, coercion, allurement or by any fraudulent means”.
An interpretation of the section has equated the solemnization of a marriage with a relationship in the “nature of marriage,” the court said.
“Petitioners have not yet applied for conversion under the provisions of Sections 8 and 9 of the Act and, therefore, the relationship of petitioners cannot be protected against the provisions of law,” the court said.
In its March 5 order, the Supreme Court said: “No evidence of joint account, financial security, joint ownership or joint expenditure is placed before this Court. The petitioners have not requested any conversion so far.”
(With PTI inputs)