Bengaluru: The Karnataka High Court has ruled that merely distributing pamphlets about Islam and verbally explaining the religion’s teachings at a Hindu temple does not amount to an offence unless there is an actual attempt to convert individuals. The court made this observation while quashing an FIR against three Muslim individuals who had been accused of such activities, reported the Livelaw .
Justice Venkatesh Naik T presided over the case and emphasized that peaceful expression and dissemination of one’s religious beliefs are protected under the Constitution, as long as there is no coercion or inducement aimed at converting others.
The FIR had charged the individuals under Sections 299, 351(2), and 3(5) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023, along with Section 5 of the Karnataka Protection of Right to Freedom of Religion Act. However, the court found no evidence of any forced or fraudulent conversion attempt.
“This court is of the firm view that discussing one’s religion and handing out literature without any element of coercion, allurement, or deceit does not attract penal provisions related to religious conversions,” the court stated.
The ruling reinforces the constitutional guarantee of religious freedom and is expected to have a significant impact on similar cases involving freedom of expression and religious outreach.
