Prayagraj: Taking note of the “disturbing trend of young people thrusting their religion/belief upon others, a tendency sought to be curbed by the UP Prohibition of Unlawful Conversion of Religion Act, 2021”, the Allahabad high court has refused to quash an FIR against two Class XII students booked under the UP Anti-Conversion Law for allegedly forcing their classmate to wear a burqa and trying to convert her to Islam.Dismissing a writ petition filed by accused Aleena and Shabiya, a division bench comprising Justice JJ Munir and Justice Tarun Saxena on Thursday observed, “If this trend is prevalent among young people, it is all the more disturbing. This is the time when they should be thinking more towards developing their skills in different fields and dedicate themselves to the service of society and nation.”The court added that the material collected during the investigation prima facie discloses details that require a thorough investigation. The court noted that “the 2021 law was enacted to curtail an emergent mischief and the same cannot be subverted by snuffing out prosecutions brought on tangible materials at the threshold”.An FIR was lodged by the brother of the victim, a Class XII student in Moradabad, alleging that his sister was compelled by her five Muslim classmates, including the petitioners, at a tuition centre to wear a veil (burqa) and embrace Islam.In her statements recorded under sections 180 and 183 of Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS), the victim referred to a specific incident from Dec 2025, wherein the accused brought a veil and made her wear it.The victim alleged that “these classmates would bring non-vegetarian food and ask her to have the gravy when she refused the meat”. She also alleged that one of them even brainwashed her to the extent that she lost her ability to think. She also claimed that “they would repeatedly tell her that their religion was good, that the Quran could be read in 40 days and wearing a burqa offered the freedom to go anywhere”.The counsel for the accused, Shabiya, argued that the impugned FIR carried general and omnibus allegations of conversion against the petitioner. It was submitted that the FIR was a counterblast to the complaint made by one of the five accused against the informant, who had been stalking and harassing her.It was also pointed out that the petitioner is an 18-year-old girl who had to write her Class XII examinations and is unable to concentrate on her studies due to the FIR.The court noted that the case diary included CCTV footage showing the victim being forced to wear the veil by the petitioner and the other co-accused. It also found that the diary contained substantial material collected during the investigation, which, prima facie, disclosed a case requiring a thorough probe.The court added that whether the petitioners’ acts constitute allurement or undue influence as punishable under the 2021 Act is a question premature to be examined in a petition to quash the FIR.
