New Delhi, December 30, 2025
In a significant victory for religious freedom advocates, the Allahabad High Court's Lucknow bench has ruled that distributing Bibles and preaching Christian doctrine do not constitute criminal offenses under Uttar Pradesh's stringent anti-conversion laws. The decision, which has been hailed by Christian leaders as a reaffirmation of constitutional rights, sharply criticizes police overreach and sets a potential precedent for curbing misuse of such legislation across India. While the user query referenced India's Supreme Court, this pivotal judgment was delivered by the High Court, underscoring the role of lower appellate courts in safeguarding minority rights amid rising tensions.
### The Case: A Prayer Meeting Turns into a Police Raid
The controversy stems from an incident in August 2025 in Sultanpur district, Uttar Pradesh—one of India's most populous states and a hotspot for alleged religious conversion disputes. On August 17, petitioners Ram Kewal Bharati and several associates were accused of organizing a prayer meeting at Bharati's residence. According to the First Information Report (FIR) filed at Dhammaur police station, complainant Manoj Kumar Singh claimed he received a tip-off that the group was distributing Bibles to vulnerable Dalit families, poor individuals, women, and children, while preaching Christian tenets via an LED screen set up in the verandah. Singh alleged this was part of an attempt to forcibly convert attendees, prompting him to gather a crowd and confront the group.
The FIR invoked Sections 352 (intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of peace) and 351(3) (criminal intimidation) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) 2023, alongside Sections 3 (prohibition on conversions by misrepresentation, force, or allurement) and 5(1) (penalty for violations) of the Uttar Pradesh Prohibition of Unlawful Conversion of Religion Act, 2021. Police raided the premises, seized the LED device, and arrested the petitioners after they reportedly resisted the intrusion to protect the privacy of their gathering. A supplementary charge sheet filed two months later added conversion charges, despite no identified victim coming forward to claim coercion or allurement.
The petitioners approached the Allahabad High Court seeking to quash the FIR, arguing it was fabricated and politically motivated. Their counsel contended that the allegations were baseless, with no evidence of forced conversions—only a voluntary prayer session involving scripture distribution.
### Court's Strong Rebuke: "No Law Criminalizes Preaching"
On November 28, 2025 (with the order made public on December 8), a division bench comprising Justice Abdul Moin and Justice Babita Rani delivered a scathing 15-page judgment that dismantled the prosecution's case. The court observed that the FIR lacked the "sine qua non"—the essential element—for invoking the 2021 Act: a credible allegation from a victim of coercion, allurement, or actual conversion.
In verbatim remarks, the bench stated: “Learned AGA [Assistant Government Advocate] has failed to indicate and obviously would not be able to indicate that distribution of Bible is a crime. Further, even preaching of a religion has not been prescribed as a crime anywhere. Thus, the sine qua non to invocation of Section 3 of the Act, 2021 prima facie would be coming forward of a ‘person’ to allege that either he has been converted to any other religion or is being coerced or given some allurement to convert to some other religion which is patently missing at the time of lodging of the FIR.”
The judges further lambasted the authorities for "bending themselves backward" to justify arrests without probable cause, questioning how Singh obtained his "information" about the event and assembled a mob to storm private property. They emphasized: “It is prima facie apparent that the authorities have bent themselves backward in order to arrest the petitioner(s) even though it is not known as to how the complainant had got information about any offence as alleged in the FIR having come to his knowledge. These are all strange facts which need to be explained by the authorities more particularly when it is the life and liberty of the petitioner(s) which is involved.”
The court clarified unequivocally: “Merely distributing the Bible and preaching religion is not a criminal offence.” It directed the state to file a counter-affidavit addressing key queries, including:
*The source of the complainant's prior knowledge of the alleged offense.
*How Singh mobilized a group to enter the petitioners' home.
* The applicability of BNS Sections 352 and 351(3) to the petitioners' defensive actions.
* Any criminal history of the complainant.
A notice was also issued to Singh for a response within two weeks, with the matter listed for further hearing after six weeks. While the FIR remains pending, the ruling effectively stays coercive actions against the petitioners and signals judicial intolerance for frivolous complaints.
### Broader Context: Anti-Conversion Laws Under Scrutiny
Uttar Pradesh's 2021 Act, often dubbed an "anti-love jihad" law, prohibits conversions through "misrepresentation, force, fraud, undue influence, coercion, allurement," with penalties up to 10 years in prison for "mass conversions." Enacted under the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led government, it reflects a national trend: At least 10 states, mostly BJP-ruled, have similar laws since 2018, amid accusations of targeting minorities like Christians and Muslims to consolidate Hindu majoritarian support.
The United Christian Forum, an ecumenical watchdog, documented 843 anti-Christian incidents nationwide in 2025, with Uttar Pradesh accounting for 209—the highest tally. Christians, comprising less than 1% of the state's 240 million population, frequently face vigilante attacks and false conversion charges during routine activities like prayer meetings or aid distribution.
This ruling echoes prior judicial interventions, such as the Supreme Court's 2021 observations questioning the constitutionality of such laws for potentially violating Article 25 (freedom of religion). Legal experts suggest it could embolden challenges to overbroad applications, though enforcement remains uneven.
### Reactions: Relief and Calls for Accountability
The decision has elicited widespread praise from India's Christian community, who view it as a bulwark against escalating persecution. A.C. Michael, a prominent Catholic leader in New Delhi, told UCA News: "This reaffirms our constitutional right to practice and propagate our faith under Article 25. But we urge the government to take punitive action against officials who file false cases to harass innocent Christians."
Pastor Joy Mathew, who provides legal aid to persecuted believers in Uttar Pradesh, described the case as emblematic of a "pattern of unfounded accusations." He noted: "Courts keep ruling in our favor, but no meaningful steps are taken against errant police. This must change to deter misuse."
Online, reactions were jubilant. Social media users, including those from Christian networks, shared the news with captions like "Praise God for justice!"—echoing sentiments of divine vindication. One commenter quipped: "If handing out free books is 'forced conversion,' then every Gita or Quran distributor is in trouble too." Critics of the BJP, however, framed it as a rare check on "majoritarian overreach," while supporters downplayed it as a routine clarification.
Secular voices, such as activist A.S. Mathew, lauded the bench for upholding India's pluralistic ethos: "In BJP states, anti-Christian bias thrives, but the judiciary stands for secularism."
### Implications: A Step Forward, But Challenges Persist
This High Court verdict could ripple beyond Uttar Pradesh, prompting similar defenses in other states like Madhya Pradesh and Karnataka, where analogous laws have led to hundreds of arrests. By distinguishing peaceful propagation from coercive conversion, it reinforces that religious outreach—core to faiths like Christianity—is protected unless proven illicit.
Yet, challenges remain. With elections looming and communal rhetoric intensifying, activists fear retaliatory FIRs. The case's next hearing in early 2026 will test whether the state heeds the court's call for restraint. For now, it offers hope: In a nation of diverse beliefs, the law must bend toward freedom, not suspicion.
TCO News Desk compiles reports based on verified judicial records and public statements. For updates, follow ongoing coverage.
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