The Allahabad High Court, in a recent ruling, declared that a conversion to Islam must be considered bona fide only if it is done voluntarily by an adult of sound mind, based on genuine faith and belief. This decision came while the court dismissed a petition seeking to quash proceedings involving charges of rape and unlawful religious conversion under the Uttar Pradesh anti-conversion law.
Justice Manju Rani Chauhan emphasized the court’s stance that any religious conversion influenced by misrepresentation, force, undue influence, coercion, allurement, or fraudulent means does not hold legal validity. The court’s order, dated March 27, specified that “A conversion of religion by an individual to Islam can be said to be bona fide if he/she is major and of sound mind and embraces Islam by his/her own free will and because of his/her faith and belief in the oneness of God (Allah) and prophetic character of Mohammed.”
The case involved Taufik Ahmad, who had appealed for the quashing of legal proceedings against him, arguing that a compromise had been reached with the opposing party. The charges stemmed from a June 2021 complaint, alleging that Ahmad, under the pseudonym Rahul alias Mohammad Ayan, befriended the victim on Facebook, concealing his true identity, and later coerced her into converting to Islam for marriage while also sexually exploiting her.
Justice Chauhan’s ruling also highlighted the seriousness with which the court views the offence of rape, stating that any compromise related to the offence, which severely impacts the honor and dignity of a woman, is unacceptable. “Any compromise or settlement with respect to the offence of rape, against the honour of a woman, which shakes the very core of her life and tantamounts to a serious blow to her supreme honour, offending both, her esteem and dignity, is not acceptable to this court,” the order read.*
The court reiterated that the objective of the UP anti-conversion law is to prevent unlawful conversions that undermine the autonomy of individuals in choosing their faith, especially through deceitful or coercive means. According to the court, legitimate conversions are those marked by a genuine change of heart and an honest conviction in the new faith’s tenets over those of one’s original religion.
