[BREAKING] SHUATS Conversion Case | SC Stays Criminal Proceedings Against VC

The Supreme Court Today (May 16^th) stayed criminal proceedings before a trial court in Uttar Pradesh over five FIRs lodged against the vice-chancellor of the Sam Higginbottom University of Agriculture, Technology and Sciences (SHUATS) and others for alleged illegal conversion of Hindus to Christianity.

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[BREAKING] SHUATS Conversion Case | SC Stays Criminal Proceedings Against VC

NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court today halted criminal proceedings in a trial court in Uttar Pradesh involving five FIRs filed against the Vice-Chancellor of Sam Higginbottom University of Agriculture, Technology and Sciences (SHUATS) and others. These FIRs accuse the individuals of illegally converting Hindus to Christianity.

The apex court has consistently granted protection from arrest and bail to the accused, despite the Uttar Pradesh government’s request to allow the trial court proceedings to continue.

“There should not be further proceedings in connection with the FIRs in the trial court in the case,”

-ordered a bench comprising Justices JB Pardiwala and Manoj Misra.

Senior advocate Siddharth Dave, representing SHUATS VC Rajendra Bihari Lal, argued that the trial court proceedings should be stayed as all accused would have to appear following summons issued based on new charge sheets filed by state police.

Senior lawyer Mukta Gupta, representing another accused, highlighted that

“testimony of none of the alleged victims, who were claimed to have been lured into Christianity, was recorded by the state police.”

The bench listened to the arguments and scheduled the next hearing for August 2.

Earlier, the court had arranged for the final hearing of nine petitions seeking either the quashing or merging of the five FIRs against the SHUATS VC and others regarding alleged illegal religious conversions.

The cases against Lal include charges under sections 307 (attempt to murder), 504 (intentional insult with an aim to provoke breach of peace), and 386 (extortion) of the Indian Penal Code.

He is also charged under provisions of the Uttar Pradesh Prohibition of Unlawful Conversion of Religion Act, 2021.

The Supreme Court has issued orders periodically to protect the accused from arrest concerning the FIRs lodged in Fatehpur.

The Uttar Pradesh Police previously informed the court that Lal and the other accused are the “main perpetrators” of a mass religious conversion program funded by about 20 countries.

Police allege that Lal is a “notorious criminal” involved in 38 cases of various nature, including cheating and murder, registered across Uttar Pradesh over the past two decades.

The police further claimed that about 90 Hindus gathered at the Evangelical Church of India in Hariharganj, Fatehpur, for conversion to Christianity and were subjected to-