Court Upholds Right to Religious Freedom but Denies Collective Proselytization

The Allahabad High Court denied bail to Shriniwas Rav Nayak, accused of illegal religious conversion. The court emphasized that while the Constitution allows individual religious freedom, it does not extend to collective proselytization. The case revolved around alleged coercive conversions in Maharajganj, leading to the court's decision to uphold the anti-conversion law.

The Allahabad High Court has refused to grant bail to Shriniwas Rav Nayak, accused of illegal religious conversion, asserting that the Constitution permits individual freedom of religion but not collective proselytization.

Justice Rohit Ranjan Agarwal dismissed Nayak's bail plea, noting that India’s legal framework allows citizens to freely practice and propagate their faith. However, the notion of a group right to convert individuals is not supported by the Constitution.

The court highlighted that Nayak’s alleged involvement in coercing villagers from the Scheduled Castes community in Maharajganj to convert from Hinduism to Christianity, as detailed by the informant, was adequate grounds to refuse bail.