Religious conversion not illegal unless forced: Delhi HC

NEW DELHI: The Delhi High Court on Friday said that everyone has the right to follow any religion or choose any religion and conversion to any religion is a person's constitutional right.

A division bench of Justices Sanjeev Sachdeva and Tushar Rao Gedela said that conversion can not be prohibited as it is a constitutional right. "Each religion has its own beliefs. If someone is forced to convert, that is different but to convert is a person's prerogative," the court noted.

The court has listed the matter for further hearing on July 25 asking the petitioner advocate Ashwini Kumar Upadhyay to bring on record the substantial data.

The court also remarked that the data available on social media can be morphed.

The court's response came when it was hearing a Public Interest Litigation filed by Upadhyay seeking "the Centre and Delhi Government to prohibit religious conversion by intimidating, threatening and deceivingly luring through gifts and monetary benefits and by using black magic and superstition."