'Youth Thrusting Religion On Others A Disturbing Trend': Allahabad HC Denies Relief To School Girl In Anti-Conversion FIR

The Allahabad High Court today refused to quash an FIR lodged against 2 class XII Students accused and booked under the UP Anti-Conversion Law for allegedly forcing their classmate to wear a burqa and attempting to convert her to Islam.

In its 11-page order, a bench of Justice JJ Munir and Justice Tarun Saxena also took 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.

"If this kind of a trend comes to be seen amongst young people, it is all the more disturbing. This is time in their lives when they should be thinking more towards developing their skills in different fields of education and dedicate themselves in the service of the society and the nation," the court observed.

It added that the material collected during the investigation prima facie discloses a case that requires 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.

Case in brief

Briefly put, an FIR was lodged by the brother of the alleged victim, a Class XII student in Moradabad. It was alleged that his sister was being compelled by her 5 Muslim classmates, including the petitioners, at a local tuition centre to wear a veil (burqa) and accept Islam.

In her statements recorded under Sections 180 and 183 BNSS, the victim referred to a specific incident from December 2025, wherein the 5 girls brought a veil and made her wear the same.

The victim further alleged that these classmates would bring non-vegetarian food and allure her to eat 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.

It was also alleged that they would repeatedly tell her that their religion was good, that the Quran could be read in forty days and that wearing a burqa offered the freedom to go anywhere.

The counsel for the accused-applicant (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.

Furthermore, it was also pointed out that the petitioner is an 18-year-old girl who had to write her Class XII examinations and presently, she is unable to concentrate on her studies on account of the distraction due to this FIR.

Lastly, it was submitted that the thrust of the allegations is against co-accused, who has not pressed the petition, and not against the petitioner (Shabiya) in this matter or the others.

HC's observations

Against the backdrop of these submissions, the bench, at the outset, noted that in the Case Diary, the victim was caught on a CCTV camera, located in an alley, where she was seen being forced to wear the veil (burqa) by the petitioner and the other coaccused.

The Court also found that the case diary contained "lots of material" collected during the investigation, which, prima facie, disclosed a case requiring thorough investigation.

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.

In the totality of circumstances, the Court refused to quash the impugned FIR. The interim order passed in favour of the accused, Shabiya, was also vacated.

Case citation: 2026 LiveLaw (AB) 222