The Allahabad High Court has ruled that no religion should claim exclusive truth, while dismissing a plea filed by a Christian priest seeking to quash charges against him under Section 295 A of the Indian Penal Code.
The case relates to an FIR lodged in 2023 in Mau district of Uttar Pradesh. The complaint alleged that the priest made statements during prayer meetings asserting that Christianity is the only true religion. The remarks were said to have hurt the religious feelings of others.
Hearing the matter, Justice Saurabh Srivastava observed that India is a secular country where people of different faiths live together. The court stated that claiming any one religion as the only true faith implies disregard for other religions. It held that such statements fall within the scope of provisions dealing with deliberate acts intended to outrage religious sentiments.
The priest had challenged the chargesheet filed in February 2024 and the subsequent cognisance taken by a local court. His counsel argued that he had been falsely implicated and that no illegal religious conversion had taken place. It was also submitted that the investigation did not establish any unlawful activity.
However, the court noted that at the stage of taking cognisance, the magistrate is required to form a prima facie opinion based on available material. The court clarified that this stage does not involve a detailed examination of evidence or the defence put forward by the accused.
The additional government advocate opposed the plea, stating that the arguments raised involved disputed facts which must be examined during trial. The court agreed with this position and found no grounds to interfere at this stage.
Dismissing the application, the bench held that the case merits further proceedings under the law.
