India’s Supreme Court declared forced conversion a threat to national security, seeking a report from the government on remedial measures.
Attorney General Tushar Mehta said in the court that cases of forced conversion of religion are happening rapidly in tribal areas.
The court asked what steps have been taken by the central and provincial governments to prevent it?
A bench comprising Justice Shah and Justice Hema Kohli expressed serious concern over the forced conversion of religion.
The court said that everyone has the freedom to adopt a religion according to their own understanding, but forcing or luring someone to convert to religion is a dangerous practice that should be stopped immediately.
The Attorney General said that in tribal areas poor citizens are converted in exchange of rice, wheat and money.
The court expressed anger and said that if something like this is happening in the tribal areas, what are the central and provincial governments doing to stop it?
Earlier, Advocate Upadhiev, while filing a public interest petition in the Supreme Court, had argued that during the last two decades, people belonging to lower castes were forced to convert to Christianity on a large scale.
