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The Supreme Court on Monday said religious conversions by means of force, allurement or fraud may ultimately affect the security of the nation and freedom of religion and conscience of citizens. The top court also directed the Centre to step in and clarify what it intends to do about it. The court ordered the Centre to file an affidavit detailing its proposed actions, on or before November 22.

According to the Supreme Court, such conversions are found more in poor and tribal areas. Giving of rice, wheat, clothes, etc., etc., can never be a ground for asking a person to change his conscience, or bargain on my fundamental right to religion, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, appearing for the Centre, said.

The Bench had also held there was no fundamental right to convert another person to ones own religion as freedom of religions covers all religions equally.

Advocate Ashwini Upadhyay, the petitioner, said there should be a special law against forced conversions or the Act should be incorporated as an offence in the Indian Penal Code. He alleged that mass conversions of people, especially the poor and the unprivileged and those belonging to Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes, has been taking place. Hearing a petition filed by the advocate earlier this year, the Delhi High Court had observed that conversion is not prohibited. It is a right of an individual to profess any religion, religion of his birth, or religion that he chooses to profess. That is the freedom our Constitution grants, the court had said.

The case has been scheduled for hearing on November 28 in the Supreme Court.

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