New Delhi (Agency): In a recent development, the Supreme Court of India has rejected a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) that sought directions to the Central government to take measures to combat fraudulent religious conversions in the country. The bench responsible for this decision included Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud and Justices J B Pardiwala and Manoj Misra.
The petitioner, Jerome Anto, represented by a lawyer in Karnataka, claimed that Hindus and minorities were being fraudulently converted, leading to a request for government intervention. However, the bench questioned the necessity for the court’s involvement in this matter, stating, “Why should the court enter into this thicket? How can the court issue a writ of mandamus to the government?”
The court further clarified that it would consider such cases if there was a live challenge or instances of persecution. However, in this case, as no such situation was presented, the PIL was dismissed.
Expressing its concern over the increasing number of PILs on various issues, the bench commented, “What kind of PIL is this? PIL has become a tool, and everyone is coming up with petitions like these.”
In response to the argument about where the petitioner should address such grievances, the bench emphasized that the court does not have advisory jurisdiction and reiterated that the plea was dismissed.
The PIL, filed through lawyer Bharti Tyagi, named both the Central government and all states as parties and sought a direction from the Supreme Court to curb religious conversions. It contended that fraudulent religious conversions and conversions through intimidation, threats, deceitful luring with gifts, and monetary benefits violated the constitutional rights guaranteed under Articles 14 (right to equality), 21 (protection of life and personal liberty), and 25 (freedom to practice and propagate religion).
