By Matters India Reporter
New Delhi, Oct 17, 2025: In a landmark judgment, the Supreme Court of India quashed five FIRs filed under the Uttar Pradesh Prohibition of Unlawful Conversion of Religion Act, 2021, citing legal infirmities, procedural lapses, and lack of credible evidence.
The FIRs, registered in Fatehpur district, accused several individuals—including Rajendra Bihari Lal, Vice-Chancellor of Sam Higginbottom University of Agriculture, Technology and Sciences (SHUATS)—of orchestrating mass conversions of Hindus to Christianity.
Justice J.B. Pardiwala, who authored the 158-page verdict, observed that criminal law must not become a tool to harass innocent citizens. “Prosecuting agencies cannot initiate cases at their whims and fancy, based on incredulous material,” the judgment stated, highlighting “glaring infirmities” in the registration of one FIR lodged in 2022.
The Bench, also comprising Justice Manoj Misra, noted that no alleged victim of conversion had approached the police directly. Instead, complaints were filed after considerable delay by individuals with vested interests, triggering fresh investigations against the same set of accused.
Rejecting arguments against quashing the FIRs under Article 32 of the Constitution, the Court affirmed its role as the ultimate guarantor of fundamental rights. “Extraordinary facts demand extraordinary remedies,” the judgment concluded.
The ruling is expected to set a precedent in safeguarding constitutional freedoms and preventing misuse of anti-conversion laws.
Religious freedom is the constitutional right of every citizen. It must be respected by every state government and the federal government.