Tag: conversion

Nothing wrong in spreading Christianity, no case of forceful conversion: TN govt to SC

[ad_1]
New Delhi: The Tamil Nadu government has told the Supreme Court there is nothing wrong in the acts of missionaries spreading Christianity as Article 25 of the Constitution guarantees every citizen the right to propagate his religion.
The M.K. Stalin government said, “Conversion of poor people to other religions by intimidating, threatening, deceivingly, luring through gifts and also by using black magic and superstition are not reported in Tamil Nadu.”
In an affidavit to a PIL filed by advocate Ashwini Kumar Upadhyay, the DMK government said: “As far as Tamil Nadu is concerned, there have been no incidents of forceful conversion reported in the past many years. The allegations raised by the petitioner…are alleged to have taken place only in certain tribal areas in Madhya Pradesh, Odisha and India’s Hindi belt and therefore even according to the petitioner, it does not apply to the State of Tamil Nadu”.

The state government contended that Article 25 of the Constitution guarantees every citizen the right to propagate his religion, therefore the acts of missionaries spreading Christianity by itself cannot be seen as something against law. “But if their act of spreading their religion is against public order, morality and health and to the other provisions of Part III of the Constitution it has to be viewed seriously,” it said.
The DMK government contended that the citizens are at liberty to choose the religion they want to follow.
“The Constitution does not give a fundamental right to any person to turn another man into one’s own religion. But it gives a right to any person to propagate his religion. Likewise, the Constitution does not prevent any person from getting converted to the religion of his choice. The citizens of the country should be allowed freely to choose their religion and it would not be appropriate for the government to put spokes to their personal belief and privacy,” it said.
The state government submitted that the petitioner has made sweeping allegations against it saying that the government was determined to remove the conversion angle from the case of Lavanya’s suspicious death.
“The petitioner, who belongs to the Bharatiya Janata Party, has attempted to convert the court proceeding into a political fight by bringing in ideological politics into the matter. All the allegations made against the Government of Tamil Nadu are politically motivated. There are no instances of forceful conversion of religion reported in Tamil Nadu…,” it said.

The DMK government contended that the state shall have the responsibility to take measures against persons who deliberately and maliciously intend to outrage the religious feelings of any class by insulting their religion or religious beliefs.
The state government said: “One of the rights guaranteed by the Indian Constitution is the right to Freedom of Religion. As a secular nation, every citizen of India has the right to freedom of religion, i.e., the right to follow any religion.”
It said, “As one can find so many religions being practiced in India, the Constitution guarantees to every citizen the liberty to follow the religion of their choice. According to this fundamental right, every citizen has the opportunity to practice and spread his religion peacefully. The right to have faith in a particular religion can be traced under Article 21 of the Constitution and it is an inviolable right”.
Many states have passed their own version of the anti-conversion laws and some are still in existence. The Tamil Nadu government said the anti-conversion laws are prone to misuse against minorities and there is no data on convictions under the various anti conversions’ laws of the states.
“In 2002, the State of Tamil Nadu passed the Tamil Nadu Prohibition of Forcible Conversion of Religion Act, 2002 (Tamil Nadu Act 56 of 2002). However, the same was repealed by the Tamil Nadu Prohibition of Forcible Conversion of Religion (Repeal) Act, 2006 (Tamil Nadu Act 10 of 2006) due to popular opposition. In the year 2003, the State of Gujarat passed the Gujarat Freedom of Religion Act, 2003. In 2017 and 2018, Jharkhand and Uttarakhand States passed anti-conversion laws, respectively. In 2021, the Karnataka State Legislative Assembly passed the Karnataka Protection of Right to freedom of religion bill”, said the state government.
In connection with Upadhyay’s plea, the state government said: “The prayers sought by the petitioner in the present writ petition do not only attack a specific community with intentions to divide the society through hate, fuelling religious intolerance in the country, bringing disharmony in the society.”
Upadhyay moved the apex court seeking a direction to declare that fraudulent religious conversion and religious conversion by intimidation, threatening, and deceivingly luring through gifts and monetary benefits offends Articles 14, 21 and 25.
[ad_2]
#wrong #spreading #Christianity #case #forceful #conversion #govt
( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

May 1, 2023
UP: 7 booked under Prohibition of Unlawful Religious Conversion Act

[ad_1]
Budaun: Seven people have been booked in the Budaun district of Uttar Pradesh for allegedly converting a man from Hinduism to Islam, a police officer said on Friday.
The police officer said they are investigating the matter and that efforts are being made to arrest the accused booked under the Uttar Pradesh Prohibition of Unlawful Religious Conversion Act.
The FIR was lodged based on a complaint filed by the father of 22-year-old Rahul Sharma who was reported to have converted to Islam, Superintendent of Police Amit Kishore said.
An investigation is underway, he added.
A police team questioned Rahul Sharma on Friday.
According to the complaint filed by his father, Rahul Sharma had joined a gym where the accused lured him into converting to Islam.
Rahul started keeping fast (roza) during Ramzan and began learning namaz after converting to Islam, his father claimed.

Subscribe us on
[ad_2]
#booked #Prohibition #Unlawful #Religious #Conversion #Act
( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

March 31, 2023
Attempts of religious conversion hinder country’s development: Indresh Kumar

[ad_1]
New Delhi: Senior RSS leader Indresh Kumar has said that interference in someone else’s religion or attempts to convert someone hinders the country’s development and harmony.
Speaking as the chief guest at the ‘Vibrant North East’ programme in Maharashtra Sadan here, Kumar who is also the patron of the Bharatiya Christian Manch and Muslim Rashtriya Manch said that all religions should follow their respective religion and respect each other. “Whatever may be our religion, but above all, we all are Indians,” Kumar emphasised.
Addressing the gathering, the RSS leader said that this event is a commendable step to introduce the people of Delhi to the cultural heritage of the North East. “The people of North East are always ahead to contribute in the progress of the country. Be it the fight for freedom or working to make the country a developed nation after independence, they have always contributed.”
Kumar further said that more attention has been paid to the North East since the Narendra Modi government came to the Centre. “Today, the northeastern states are moving ahead on the path of all-round development, which is the impact of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s governance,” he added.
BJP national spokesperson Tom Vadakkan, Rajya Sabha MP S. Phangnok Konyan, Pratap Palla from Bharatiya Christian Manch and national media in-charge of Muslim Rashtriya Manch Shahid Sayeed were also present in the programme.
Subscribe us on
[ad_2]
#Attempts #religious #conversion #hinder #countrys #development #Indresh #Kumar

( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

March 31, 2023
UP religious conversion case: Three Christian missioneries held

[ad_1]
Three Christian missionaries were arrested on Sunday in the Sidhauli district of Uttar Pradesh for allegedly converting Hindus to Christians. In the, a group of Bajrang Dal workers barged into a Christian-owned house and created a ruckus alleging that the home is being used for religious conversion.
Bajrang Dal members forcefully entered a house owned by a Christian community member and accused the occupants of religious conversion in Sidhauli, Sitapur, Uttar Pradesh.
pic.twitter.com/WCZVEZ7iA4
— Ahmed Khabeer احمد خبیر (@AhmedKhabeer_) March 27, 2023
In the viral video which is making rounds on social media platforms, one Hindutva worker can be seen arguing with a purported Christian lady inside the house where other women were also present. The lady can be seen resisting and pushing the man back.
“Shut up and tell me what is going on here. All ladies here belong to the Hindu community and you have called them here secretly to convert them to Christianity,” says the Bajrang Dal member in the video. According to the police, three accused who were allegedly involved in religious conversion have been booked under Anti conversion law.
“All three have been arrested and action has been taken as per the rules. Further investigation is on way,” said Yadvendra Yadav, a circle officer.
Anti-conversion laws are a set of judicial rules that restrict or prohibit the conversion of faith (proselytism) from one religion to another. It is a federal law in many countries. In India, there is no federal law but nine states have sanctioned their own laws (Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, Uttarakhand and Uttar Pradesh.
Subscribe us on

[ad_2]
#religious #conversion #case #Christian #missioneries #held

( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

March 27, 2023
DCW seeks action against illegal conversion therapy for LGBTQI+ community

[ad_1]
New Delhi: Delhi Commission for Women (DCW) on Saturday issued a notice to National Medical Commission to seek action against illegal conversion therapy training for the LGBTQI+ community being advertised under the banner of the World Congress of Psychologists’.
The Delhi Commission for Women (DCW) said it has taken suo moto cognizance of an advertisement circulating on social media that claims that an organisation called the ‘World Congress of Psychologists’ with its Head Office at Tirupati in Andhra Pradesh is conducting a three-month training program on Psychosomatic Disorders, starting March 10.
The organisation appears to have offered training on tackling 47 different disorders, and has included homosexuality, lesbianism, and transvestism in the same, it noted. It is an established fact that homosexuality, lesbianism, and transvestism are not ‘psychosomatic disorders, the panel said.
Over 50 years ago, the American Psychiatric Association (APA) issued a resolution stating that homosexuality is not a mental illness or sickness. Conversion therapies are a set of pseudo-scientific practices, targeting the LGBTIQA+ (An acronym that stands for Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, Intersex, and Asexual people) to change their sexual orientation, gender identity, and gender expression.
The panel cited the 2021 judgment passed by the Madras High Court which said any attempts to medically “cure” or change the sexual orientation of LGBTIQA+ people to heterosexual or the gender identity of transgender people to cisgender is prohibited.
The court has also directed the National Medical Commission, Indian Psychiatric Society, and The Rehabilitation Council of India to take action against the concerned professional involving themselves in any form or method of conversion “therapy” including withdrawal of license to practice, it said.
Following the order, the National Medical Commission (NMC) declared conversion therapy as illegal and considers it in the category of ‘Professional Misconduct’ and has banned the practice under the Indian Medical Council (Professional Conduct, Etiquette and Ethics) Regulations, 2002, it added.
The panel noted that despite these judgments, it was unfortunate that conversion therapy is still prevalent and such programs seem to be organised and advertised.

DCW has issued a notice to the chairman of the National Medical Commission and has sought a copy of the inquiry report on the matter. The Commission has asked whether the program is being conducted or was conducted in the past and if so, details of action taken against the organisation, its office bearers, and trainers as well as whether their licenses have been revoked.
The Commission has also asked for a copy of the guidelines or advisories issued by the National Medical Commission banning conversion therapy of LGBTQIA+ persons.
[ad_2]
#DCW #seeks #action #illegal #conversion #therapy #LGBTQI #community
( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

March 25, 2023
DCW issues notice to NMC over illegal training for conversion therapy of LGBTQIA+

[ad_1]
New Delhi: The Delhi Commission for Women (DCW) has issued a notice to National Medical Commission (NMC) seeking action against illegal trainings on conversion therapy for the LGBTQIA+ community being advertised under the banner of ‘World Congress of Psychologists’
According to the DCW, it has taken suo moto cognizance of an advertisement circulating on social media claiming that an organisation called the ‘World Congress of Psychologists’ with its head office in Tirupati, Andhra Pradesh, is conducting a three-month training program on psychosomatic disorders which started on March 10.
“The organisation appears to have offered training on tackling 47 different disorders, and has included homosexuality, lesbianism and transvestism in the advertisement,” said DCW in a statement issued on Saturday.
DCW chief Swati Maliwal issued the notice to the NMC Chairman and has sought a copy of the enquiry report in the matter.
The DCW has asked whether the program is being conducted or was conducted in the past and if so, details of action taken against the organisation, its office bearers and trainers as well as whether their licenses have been revoked.
It has also asked for a copy of the guidelines/advisories issued by NMC banning conversion therapy of LGBTQIA+ persons.
“It is an established fact that homosexuality, lesbianism and transvestism are not ‘psychosomatic disorders’. Over 50 years ago, the American Psychiatric Association (APA) issued a resolution stating that homosexuality is not a mental illness or sickness. Conversion therapies are a set of pseudo-scientific practices, targeting the LGBTIQA+ people into changing their sexual orientation, gender identity and gender expression.”
“In a judgment passed by the Madras High Court in 2021, directed th e National Medical Commission, Indian Psychiatric Society and The Rehabilitation Council of India to take action against the concerned professional involving themselves in any form or method of conversion “therapy” including withdrawal of license to practice,” said a DCW official.

“Pursuant to this order, the NMC declared conversion therapy as illegal and considers it in the category of ‘Professional Misconduct’ and has banned the pr actice under the Indian Medical Council (Professional Conduct, Etiquette and Ethics) Regulations, 2002.”
The official said that despite these judgements, it is unfortunate that conversion therapy is still prevalent and such programmes as mentioned seem to be organised and advertised.
Maliwal said that it is unfortunate that even in this age, there appear to be organisations in the country who seem to claim that homosexuality, lesbianism and transvestism are apsychosomatic disorders’ and need to be “cured” through conversion therapy.
“This is illegal and perpetuates myths, biases and discrimination in society against the LGBTQIA+ community. Every individual has a right to express their self identified gender and choose their sexual orientation. The Supreme Court has guaranteed these rights. Stringent action should be taken against organisations who indulge in such criminal acts,” she said.
[ad_2]
#DCW #issues #notice #NMC #illegal #training #conversion #therapy #LGBTQIA
( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

March 25, 2023
CBI registers preliminary enquiry into ‘forced religious conversion’ in Malda

[ad_1]
New Delhi: The CBI has initiated a preliminary enquiry into an alleged case of forced conversion in West Bengal’s Malda district on the direction from the Calcutta High Court last year, officials said.
The agency has registered the preliminary enquiry, the first step before registering an FIR to prima facie detect criminality in the allegations, to probe the forced conversion of two brothers for allegedly supporting a rival political party during the 2021 West Bengal Assembly elections.
Wives of these brothers had approached the High Court claiming that their husbands, residents of Kaliachak area of Malda district, were converted from Hinduism to Islam by force as part of a punishment for working for a political party which lost the assembly polls.
The petitioners, who are also sisters, submitted that their husbands were missing since November 24, 2021 and the police did not take any step in tracing the men.
The state government, however, submitted that the two had converted to Islam voluntarily and left home because of a family dispute.
Subscribe us on
[ad_2]
#CBI #registers #preliminary #enquiry #forced #religious #conversion #Malda

( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

March 22, 2023
Telangana: TSTRANSCO plans for conversion of 132KV line into 220 KV line soon

[ad_1]
Hyderabad: Chairperson of Southern regional power committee (SRPC) D Prabhakar Rao, in a high-level meeting on Saturday in Pune, said that due to transmission losses in northern Indian states, the southern states are getting affected.
In the 45th SRPC committee meeting, he said that the All India Transmission recorded a loss of 4.49% which is higher than the southern regions which recorded 3.88% .
“Due to higher transmission loss to the northern states, the southern states are getting affected,” he said.
In the SRPC meeting, Prabhakar said that despite assurances from the National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC) to commission the under construction 2x800MW units of the super thermal power station at Ramgundam by 2022 itself, NTPC has not completed the works.
“Telangana State Power Utilities are made to purchase power from exchange to meet the increasing demand due to ongoing Rabi season and on-set of scorching summer,” he said.
On March 1, SRPC recorded a demand of 61,402G watts. “Plan well in advance duly considering the previous year’s constraints faced by the entire nation during the same period due to various reasons such as acute coal shortage, sudden outages, and nonavailability of power in exchange,” he said..
TSTRANSCO has taken up a pilot project of conversion of 132KV line into 220KV line by utilizing the insulated cross arms for upgrading the power capacity of the line. It has replaced the old conductor with an HTLS conductor.
“Entire 132KV Line from Gachibowli to Ramchandrapuram (for a length of 12km) in Hyderabad city is being upgraded to 220KV line for transmitting higher quantum of power without any extra corridor requirement,” he said.

[ad_2]
#Telangana #TSTRANSCO #plans #conversion #132KV #line #line
( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

March 4, 2023
Allahabad HC rejects petition seeking cancelling of FIR against conversion accused

[ad_1]
Prayagraj: The Allahabad High Court has dismissed a writ petition challenging an FIR lodged against 37 people accused of coercing a man to undergo a religious conversion from Hinduism to Christianity through inducements.
The writ petition was filed by Jose Prakash George and 36 Others seeking quashing of the FIR lodged on January 23, 2023, under sections 420, 467, 468, 506, 120-B IPC and section 3/5 (1) of UP Prohibition of Unlawful Conversion of Religion Act at Police Station Kotwali, District Fatehpur.
The petitioner’s counsel contended that an FIR on almost identical allegations had been lodged on April 15, 2022, under the same Act.
The complainant in the instant case is one of the witnesses whose statement was recorded by the police in the FIR lodged on April 15, 2022.
The accused in both FIRs are the same barring, one or two persons. Only the informant in both cases is different, and both cases allege mass religious conversion by fraud, coercion, and allurement, the counsel said.
In light of these facts, the counsel contended that the FIR is barred by sections 154 and 158 of the Code of Criminal Procedure.
A division bench comprising Justice Anjani Kumar Mishra and Justice Gajendra Kumar on Friday rejected the petition saying it was of the view that the second FIR, though related to the same incident, cannot be quashed as it has been lodged by a competent person.
“Since, the first information report dated April 15, 2022, had not been lodged by a person competent to lodge it, it is of no consequence. For the same reason, the impugned first information report cannot be called a second first information report. It, therefore, cannot be said that there are two separate first information reports of the same incident.

“It has already been observed in the earlier part of this order that the allegations in the first information report impugned, contain ingredients of a cognizable offence. Therefore, also the impugned first information report is not liable to be quashed,” the court observed.
“In view of the reasons given above, the writ petition fails and is dismissed,” it said.
[ad_2]
#Allahabad #rejects #petition #seeking #cancelling #FIR #conversion #accused
( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

February 19, 2023
Dominic Perrottet backs NSW ban on gay conversion practices as Sydney WorldPride begins

[ad_1]
A ban on gay conversion practices has secured the support of both major parties in New South Wales after Dominic Perrottet gave the reform “in-principle” backing on the first day of Sydney WorldPride.
“There is no room for any harmful practices in NSW, particularly if they affect our young and vulnerable,” the premier said. “When the parliament returns, my government will provide in-principle support for legislation that brings an end to any harmful practices.
“This is a complex matter and in working through it with parliamentary colleagues we will carefully consider the legal expression and effect of such laws.”
So-called gay conversion “therapy”, which has been outlawed in other east coast states, tries to change or suppress a person’s sexuality.
The Coalition’s support marks a major win for the independent Sydney MP, Alex Greenwich, who this month revealed he would introduce legislation to ban the practices.
At the time he said the major parties’ position on the bill would be key in a decision on who he would support in the case of a hung parliament after the 25 March state election.
“I’m grateful for the premier’s support to end LGBT conversion practices in NSW,” Greenwich said on Friday. “We start Sydney WorldPride with both Dominic Perrottet and Chris Minns backing legislation to support and protect the LGBTQ community in NSW. This is a good day for our state.”
Ghassan Kassisieh, the legal director of the national LGBTQ+ group Equality Australia, said the premier’s commitment was “a welcome first step”.

“Any scheme to end conversion practices will only be effective if it is inclusive of practices that seek to change or suppress a person’s sexual orientation or gender identity occurring in either health and religious settings, and include a civil scheme focused on stopping conversion practices before they cause harm,” he said.
Minns last week confirmed that a Labor government would ban the “dangerous and damaging” practices.
skip past newsletter promotion
Sign up to Guardian Australia’s Afternoon Update
Our Australian afternoon update email breaks down the key national and international stories of the day and why they matter
Privacy Notice: Newsletters may contain info about charities, online ads, and content funded by outside parties. For more information see our Privacy Policy. We use Google reCaptcha to protect our website and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
after newsletter promotion
“We should not have a situation where children are being told something is wrong with them and that they need to be fixed,” he said.
Labor would set up a working group with survivors, advocates and government departments including NSW Health and justice to draft the laws, he said.
Key figures organising parts of Sydney WorldPride and Mardi Gras on Thursday issued a warning to the NSW government that the “world is watching”.
The 17-day festival celebrating LGBTQ+ pride kicks off on Friday and includes parties, a human rights conference and a march across the Sydney Harbour Bridge on 5 March that is tipped to attract half a million people.
[ad_2]
#Dominic #Perrottet #backs #NSW #ban #gay #conversion #practices #Sydney #WorldPride #begins
( With inputs from : www.theguardian.com )

February 17, 2023