The Allahabad High Court held that declaring any faith as the “only true religion” is inappropriate in secular India because it can disparage other religions and may attract Section 295A IPC.
The Allahabad High Court ruled that declaring any religion to be the “only true religion” is inappropriate in a secular nation like India, since it can disparage other faiths and carry legal consequences.
Rejecting a petition from Reverend Father Vineet Vincent Pereira, Justice Saurabh Srivastava noted that such assertions could, on first glance, fall within Section 295A of the Indian Penal Code, which penalises deliberate and malicious acts intended to outrage religious feelings.
In its March 18 order, the court observed that asserting exclusivity for one religion inherently denigrates others.
According to the FIR, the petitioner allegedly held prayer meetings in which he repeatedly labeled Christianity as the only true religion, prompting complaints from members of another community who said their feelings were hurt.
The police investigation found no evidence of illegal religious conversion, but authorities nevertheless submitted a chargesheet alleging the petitioner had attacked other religions.
The petitioner’s lawyer argued the complaint was baseless and that Section 295A did not apply, further contending that the magistrate accepted the chargesheet without proper scrutiny.
The state countered that the matter raised factual disputes appropriate for trial and stressed that, at the cognizance stage, the court need only determine whether a prima facie case exists, not conduct a detailed evidentiary review.
The High Court agreed, emphasizing India’s secular character and noting that Section 295A targets acts done with deliberate intent to offend religious sentiments. It concluded that a prima facie case could not be ruled out at this stage and that a magistrate is not required to hold a mini‑trial or assess the defence when taking cognizance.