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Right to freedom of religion doesn’t include a fundamental right to convert: Centre to SC

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The Centre told the Supreme Court that the right to freedom of religion does not include a fundamental right to convert people to a particular religion.

The Centre’s response came on a plea by advocate Ashwini Upadhyay against fraudulent religious conversion and religious conversion by intimidation, threatening, deceivingly luring through gifts and monetary benefits, as it offends Articles 14, 21, and 25.

The plea claimed that if such conversions were not checked, Hindus would soon become a minority in India.

In an affidavit, the Union Ministry of Home Affairs said: “It is submitted that the right to freedom of religion does not include a fundamental right to convert other people to a particular religion. The said right certainly does not include the right to convert an individual through fraud, deception, coercion, allurement or other such means”.

The Central government said the petitioner has highlighted a large number of instances carried out in an organised, systematic and sophisticated manner of conversion of vulnerable citizens in the country through fraud, deception, coercion, allurement or other such means.

It further added that the meaning and purport of the word ‘propagate’ falling under Article 25 of the Constitution was discussed and debated in great detail in the constituent assembly and the inclusion of the said word was passed by the constituent assembly only after the clarification that the fundamental right under Article 25 would not include the right to convert.

The Centre said the apex court has held that the word ‘propagate’ does not envisage the right to convert a person rather is in the nature of the positive right to spread once religion by exposition of its tenets.

“This Court further held that fraudulent or induced conversion impinges upon the right to freedom of conscience of an individual apart from hampering public order and, therefore, the State was well within its power to regulate/restrict the same,” it added.

The Centre said it is cognizant of the gravity and the seriousness of the issue raised in the present writ petition and enactments are necessary for protecting cherished rights of vulnerable sections of the society including women and economically and socially backward classes.

“It is submitted that that public order is a state subject and in pursuance to the same various states over the course of the years passed enactments seeking to curb the practices highlighted in the present petition.”

The Centre said nine state governments have already have legislations in place on the present subject: Odisha, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Karnataka, and Haryana.

It said that the reliefs sought in the present petition would be taken up in all seriousness by it and appropriate steps shall be taken as it is cognizant of the menace.

On November 14, the Supreme Court said forced religious conversion is a “very serious issue”, and may affect the security of the nation and asked the Centre to make its stand clear on what steps can be taken to curb forced conversions.

The top court said there is freedom of religion, but no freedom on forced conversion.

Upadhyay’s plea said that “freedom of religion enshrined in Article 25 is not granted exclusively in respect of one faith, but includes all religions equally, and an individual may properly enjoy it if he practices his right in a manner commensurate with the freedom of persons practicing the other religions”.

What is liberty for one, in equal measure, is freedom for the other, and therefore, there can be no such thing as a fundamental right to turn another man into one’s own religion.”

The petitioner has made the Union Ministries of Home Affairs, Law and Justice, CBI, NIA and state governments as respondents in the matter.

Crime

Andhra Pradesh Govt Suspends Three IPS Officers Over Actress Harassment Case

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The Andhra Pradesh government on Sunday suspended three senior IPS officers following an inquiry into the allegations made by a Mumbai-based actress, Kadambari Jethwani. The state government issued orders suspending P. Sitharama Anjaneyulu, then Director General of Police, Intelligence; Kanthi Rana Tata, the then Commissioner of Police, Vijayawada, and Vishal Gunni, then Deputy Commissioner of Police, Vijayawada.

She and her parents allegedly faced harassment at the hands of police officers at the instance of a leader of YSR Congress, which was then the ruling party in Andhra Pradesh. The suspensions were issued under Rule 3 (1) of the All India Services (Discipline & Appeal) Rules, 1969. Sitharama Anjaneyulu has been suspended on allegations of misuse of power and grave misconduct.

He had allegedly instructed the other two officials to arrest the actress, even before a formal crime had been registered. There are allegations that Kanthi Rana Tata arrested the actress based on oral instructions from his superior on January 31, 2024, before the registration of the FIR on February 2.

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Crime

UP: Man Beats Wife To Death In Amroha For Not Meeting Dowry Demands Of TVS Apache Bike & ₹3 Lakh Cash

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Amroha: In a tragic incident from Uttar Pradesh’s Amroha, a young woman named Meena was brutally beaten to death by her husband, Sundar, for not fulfilling his dowry demands. Sundar, a resident of Baikheda village, had been married to Meena for two years and had persistently demanded a TVS Apache bike and Rs 3 lakh as dowry. Despite repeated harassment over the dowry, Meena was unable to meet his demands, a situation she had confided to her father.

Meena had been staying at her father’s home in Soharka since the festival of Rakshabandhan, possibly seeking refuge from the abuse. Sundar continued visiting her daily, often having meals with her family, creating an appearance of normalcy.

Sundar Brought Meena Back Home, Later Killed Her

On Sunday night, he came to bring her back to his house. Once there, Sundar confronted her again about the dowry and, in a violent fit of rage, attacked her with sticks. Unable to force her compliance, he strangled her to death before fleeing the scene.

It was the local residents who first alerted the authorities to the murder. Upon hearing the devastating news, Meena’s family rushed to the police station, demanding immediate action against Sundar. Her father, Vijay Khadak Banshi, later lodged a formal complaint accusing Sundar, along with his mother, sister and four others, of involvement in the crime.

Case Filed, Manhunt Launched To Nab Accused

The police have registered a case based on the family’s complaint and are actively searching for Sundar, who remains at large. Meanwhile, Meena’s body has been sent for a post-mortem examination to aid in the ongoing investigation.

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National News

Karnataka BJP MLA Munirathna Booked For Alleged Harassment, Bribery & Casteist Abuse

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Bengaluru, September 14: Two FIRs have been registered against BJP MLA Munirathna for alleged harassment, threats and casteist abuse, police said on Saturday. The cases against the Rajarajeshwarinagar MLA were filed at Vyalikaval police station here on Friday, they said.

In the first FIR filed by BBMP (Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike) contractor, Cheluvaraju, he accused the MLA of demanding Rs 30 lakh as a bribe and threatening to terminate his contract if he did not pay the amount.

In his complaint, he alleged that initially, Munirathna had demanded Rs 20 lakh in 2021 from him over a solid waste disposal contract. However, despite making that payment for getting 10 auto trippers for a waste management contract, he was not sanctioned those vehicles by the civic body.

According to the FIR, Cheluvaraju was being repatedly harassed by the MLA who allegedly verbally abused him and also physically assaulted him. In the complaint, he further alleged that the MLA did not allow him to execute his work and had even slapped him in September 2023.

Along with the MLA, three others, including government officials, were also named in the FIR for allegedly threatening, abusing and harassing the contractor. He also alleged that because of the repeated harassment, he even thought of ending his life, it said. Cheluvaraju has also released an audio recording of a phone conversation between him and the accused MLA.

According to police, the second FIR has been filed against the MLA on the complaint of a BBMP corporator who alleged that the MLA hurled casteist abuse, insulted his caste and family. The MLA allegedly asked Chaluvaraju not to associate himself with the corporator because of his caste.

The FIR was registered under SC and the ST (prevention of atrocities) Act and other sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, police added.

A senior police officer said, “Based on the complaints received, we registered two separate cases against the MLA who has been accused of threats, harassment, bribery and casteist abuse. The matter is being investigated.”

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