In a significant development, the Supreme Court of India, on Friday, March 1, granted anticipatory bail to the Vice Chancellor and senior officials of the Sam Higginbottom University of Agriculture Technology and Science (SHUATS) in connection with an illegal mass religious conversion case. The bench, comprising Justices JB Pardiwala and Manoj Misra, also affirmed the effectiveness of the court’s previous protection order, extending relief to the implicated officials.
The legal saga traces back to December 2023, when a vacation bench of the Supreme Court intervened, postponing the execution of the Allahabad High Court’s judgment, which directed the Vice Chancellor and other SHUATS officials to surrender to the court by December 20, 2023. The Supreme Court, during that time, had also granted interim protection from arrest to the VC, the Director, and the accused professors.
Furthermore, the High Court, in its contested ruling, refused to dismiss a formal complaint against the Vice Chancellor and other officials, alleging their involvement in coercing a woman into converting to Christianity through inducements and misuse of authority.
Quoting the High Court’s stance on the matter, the bench, comprised of Justice Rahul Chaturvedi and Justice Mohd. Azhar Husain Idrisi, highlighted the gravity of the situation, stating, “No God or true Church or Temple or Mosque would approve such type of malpractices.”
The FIR, lodged in November 2023, alleged that the victim, a lower-middle-class woman, was lured into Christianity through material gifts and promises of employment. Disturbingly, the victim also reported instances of sexual exploitation by the accused, including the SHUATS VC.
The FIR in this case, stemmed from a complaint by Himanshu Dixit, alleging an attempt to convert around 90 Hindus to Christianity at the Evangelical Church of India in Hariharganj, Fatehpur. Officials questioned Pastor Vijay Massiah, who admitted to a 34-day ongoing conversion process. Notably, an earlier FIR had been filed against eight SHUATS officials, including the vice-chancellor, under the UP Prohibition of Unlawful Conversion of Religion Ordinance 2020.
Further investigations unveiled additional legal issues for SHUATS. In January 2023, the Kotwali Police station in Fatehpur seized 70 bank accounts associated with the university and the trust founded by RB Lal. Vice-Chancellor Bishop Rajendra B Lal heads the Yeshu Darbar Trust, an NGO conducting religious congregations in multiple locations.
This is not the first time the Lal brothers faced legal scrutiny regarding religious conversion. In a separate case earlier in March 2023, the Supreme Court had halted their arrest, seeking the response of the State of Uttar Pradesh.
The university faced renewed scrutiny with two old cases resurfacing. One from 2012 accused the university’s top officials of obtaining arms licenses illegally, and the other questioned the grant of minority status to SHUATS. While the 2012 case was investigated, the current Special Task Force (STF) is looking into the minority status designation, revealing an intricate legal web surrounding SHUATS.
The court’s investigation revealed a significant financial aspect to the case, with the UP police disclosing substantial funds received by SHUATS from various foreign countries since 2005, totaling over Rs 34 crores. The police alleged that these funds were utilised for unlawful conversion activities.
“While legal procedures continue, the Supreme Court’s issuance of anticipatory bail provides temporary relief to the Vice Chancellor and other SHUATS officials,” the statement concluded, hinting at the ongoing complexity of the legal battle surrounding the SHUATS conversion case.
