The Supreme Court has stayed criminal proceedings against a man accused of pressurizing a family in Madhya Pradesh to convert to Islam. Accused Harman Taylor claims that he himself follows Hindu religion and has challenged the High Court’s decision.
The Supreme Court on Thursday stayed further criminal proceedings against a man accused of forcing a family in Madhya Pradesh to convert to Islam, even though he himself claims to be a practicing Hindu.
A bench of Justice Manoj Mishra and Justice Shri Chandrashekhar passed the interim order and issued notice on her plea challenging the order of the Madhya Pradesh High Court which had refused to quash the FIR registered under Sections 3 and 5 of the MP Religious Freedom Act.
What is the whole matter?
During the hearing, counsel for petitioner Harman Taylor argued that the FIR was filed almost eight years after the complainant’s husband allegedly converted to Islam.
The case pertains to an FIR lodged by the wife of a man who had allegedly converted to Islam under the influence of Taylor. The lawyer argued that Taylor and his family follow Hindu religion and they had also placed documents on record in this regard.
The prosecution alleged that after the conversion, the husband started pressurizing his wife and their minor son to also convert to Islam, allegedly at the behest of Taylor.
Based on the complaint, the police registered a criminal case against Taylor and subsequently filed a chargesheet against him.
The High Court had rejected the petition
Subsequently, Taylor approached the Madhya Pradesh High Court seeking quashing of the criminal proceedings saying there was no evidence to show that he had made any attempt to convert the complainant (wife) or her son.
The High Court refused to quash the criminal proceedings and found that the allegations appeared serious and said the issues raised by them were subject to trial.
The High Court had said that there was prima facie evidence linking him to the alleged crime and also noted that the statements of the complainant and his minor son specifically mentioned the role of the petitioner in putting pressure on the complainant’s family.
Aggrieved by this decision of the High Court, Taylor approached the Supreme Court. (ANI)
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