The Allahabad High Court has dismissed a petition filed by two Class 12 students seeking to quash an FIR registered against them for allegedly attempting to forcibly convert a classmate to Islam and compelling her to wear a burqa.
A Bench comprising Justice JJ Munir and Justice Tarun Saxena expressed serious concern over what it described as a “disturbing trend” of young individuals attempting to “thrust” their religious beliefs upon others. The court emphasized that the Uttar Pradesh Prohibition of Unlawful Conversion of Religion Act, 2021, was specifically enacted to address such emergent societal challenges.
The legal proceedings began after an FIR was lodged in Moradabad by the brother of the victim. According to the complaint, five Muslim classmates at a local tuition centre were pressuring his sister to embrace Islam and wear a veil.
In statements recorded under Sections 180 and 183 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS), the victim detailed a specific incident from December 2025. She alleged that her classmates brought a veil and forced her to wear it. Furthermore, the victim claimed that she was frequently offered non-vegetarian food—being urged to eat the gravy even when she refused the meat— and was subjected to “brainwashing” that impaired her ability to think independently.
According to the victim, the accused repeatedly claimed their religion was superior, stating that the Quran could be read in 40 days and that wearing a burqa provided the “freedom to go anywhere.”
Counsel for the petitioners argued that the FIR contained “general and omnibus” allegations and was causing significant distraction for the 18-year-old student, who is currently preparing for her Class 12 examinations. The defense further contended that the primary allegations were directed at a co-accused who was not part of the current petition.
However, the High Court noted that the case diary contained substantial evidence, including CCTV footage from an alleyway which allegedly shows the victim being forced to wear a burqa by the petitioners and other co-accused.
In its 11-page judgment, the Court remarked that the 2021 Act was designed to curtail situations where individuals move beyond propagating their religion to “thrusting it upon others.”
“If this kind of a trend comes to be seen amongst young people, it is all the more disturbing,” the Court observed. “This is time in their lives when they should be thinking more towards developing their skills in different fields of education and dedicate themselves in the service of the society and the nation.”
The Bench further clarified that a statute intended to address “emergent mischief” should not be “stopped in its tracks” at the early stages of enforcement, as doing so would frustrate its very purpose. While the Court noted that false implications should not be encouraged, it maintained that legitimate prosecutions based on “tangible materials” must not be “snuffed out” at the threshold.
The Court concluded that determining whether the acts constituted “allurement” or “undue influence” under the Act is a matter for investigation and trial, not for a quashing petition. Finding that the investigation had already yielded significant material requiring further scrutiny, the High Court refused to intervene and dismissed the petition.
