‘Law can’t be tool to harass people’: SC quashes 5 FIRs on religious conversion, Pg13.

Key Highlights:

• The Supreme Court quashed 5 FIRs against Rajendra Bihari Lal, Vice-Chancellor of SHUATS, and others, related to alleged religious conversions to Christianity.
• The court emphasized that criminal law should not be used to harass innocent individuals based on unsubstantiated claims.
• The FIRs were registered under the Indian Penal Code, 1860, and the Uttar Pradesh Prohibition of Unlawful Conversion of Religion Act, 2021.
• The court referenced its 1977 judgment in Rev. Stanislaus v. State of Madhya Pradesh & Ors, clarifying that the right to propagate religion does not extend to conversions by force or fraud.
• A sixth FIR involving charges of attempted murder and extortion was separated for further consideration.

Detailed Insights:

• The court highlighted that allowing strangers or unrelated third parties to initiate criminal proceedings would intrude upon individual freedom and open the door to frivolous litigation, diluting constitutional guarantees.
• The judgment underscores the importance of protecting individual autonomy, dignity, and liberty from unwarranted intrusion under the guise of protecting religious freedom.
• The court cited the Arnab Goswami case, reiterating that multiple FIRs regarding the same offense or incident are an abuse of the investigative process, except in specific circumstances.
• The Supreme Court affirmed its role as the ultimate guarantor of fundamental rights under Part III of the Constitution, ensuring remedies against their violation.
• The interim protection granted to the accused in the sixth FIR will continue until the matter is fully heard and decided.

Key Concepts Involved:

• Fundamental Rights: Basic rights guaranteed by the Constitution of India to all citizens.
• Freedom of Religion: The right to practice, profess, and propagate any religion, subject to public order, morality, and health.
• FIR (First Information Report): A written document prepared by police when they receive information about the commission of a cognizable offense.