A short clip of 1 min 15 seconds of a hearing before the Madhya Pradesh High Court has given us a peek into the scary levels of minority appeasing that sometimes go on in the courtrooms. In this viral video, the Judges are seen asking a Hindu man (Petitioner) who has married a Muslim woman, to convert to Islam casually.
The Judges in question here are Justice Rohit Arya and Justice Milind Ramesh Phadke, who are sitting for a hearing before the Division Bench of the High Court (Gwalior Bench).
https://twitter.com/i/status/1552935067525480450
The video is likely a hearing taking place before the Division Bench of the High Court (Gwalior Bench) comprising Justice Rohit Arya and Justice Milind Ramesh Phadke. It is Justice Rohit Arya who is seen arguing with a helpless petitioner’s counsel and asking him “Who converted the girl into a Muslim?” to which the Counsel replies that the woman converted through the Arya Samaj Mandir from Islam to Hinduism.
Then Justice Rohit tells him most nonchalantly “It’s better that you become a Muslim. Go to a Kazhi”.
The petitioner’s counsellor tries to put up a defence by saying the woman has already converted to Hinduism and that she is a major. “Lordships! What will he do becoming a Muslim?”
To which Justice Rohit replies with an apparent sense of concern for the nation “Converting someone from Islam to Hinduism is not a small (funny) thing. If we accept this what will happen to the society?”
A look at the background of this case will show you how concocted this conversation is. The petitioner in this case Rahul had approached the court filing a Habeas Corpus petition alleging that his wife, Hina Khan, had been illegally confined by the police in a Nari Sudhar Grah and thus sought her release.
Hina Khan and Rahul who were in a relationship were forced to leave home due to interfaith issues. Hina then converted to Hinduism with the help of Arya Samaj Vivah Mandir Trust.
Following this, her parents filed an FIR. Once she gave her statement to the police saying that she willingly left home and undertook the marriage. The police detained her in Nari Sudhar Grah even though she was not a minor on the date of their marriage.
In such circumstances, the husband approached the high court for her to be released from the illegal confinement.
In a strange change of development, the courts began to focus more on the legality of Arya Samaj Vivah Mandir Trust to convert people to Hinduism.
Even in the last hearing on July 28, 2022, the courts are still taking on Mandir’s trust and completely ignoring the Habeas Corpus petition.
The court has here played delaying tactics by pursuing an ancillary issue.
It’s quite clear that a person who has reached majority or in layman’s terms, an adult is allowed religion and life partner based on his/her choice and yet the basic rights of Rahul and Hina are nowhere in the priority list of our honourable judges.
