‘Act of terror’: Supreme Court pleads in TCS Nashik case; seeks ‘stringent measures’ against forced religious conversions

New Delhi: Supreme Court advocate Ashwini Upadhyay on Thursday filed a plea seeking to declare forced religious conversion an “act of terror”.The plea comes in the backdrop of allegations of religious conversion and sexual harassment at Tata Consultancy Services’ (TCS) office in Nashik, Maharashtra.ALSO READ | TCS Nashik case snowballs: Police say accused acted like an organized gang targeting female colleaguesUpadya believes that “fraudulent religious conversions” “pose a serious threat not only to sovereignty, secularism, democracy and freedom, but also to fraternity, dignity, unity and national integration”.“Organized religious conversions in Nashik have shaken the conscience of citizens across the country. Therefore, the petitioner is filing this petition seeking directions and declarations to curb fraudulent religious conversions,” the plea said.“Forced or fraudulent religious conversion is not an isolated religious act but a systematic conspiracy, often funded by foreign entities, to alter the demographic balance thereby threatening the unity, integrity and security of India. Therefore, it falls under the purview of acts of terrorism as defined under Section 15 of UAPA,” it added.Also read: TCS Nashik office employees told to work from home over religious conversion, harassment allegationsUpadhya also sought directions from the central and state governments to set up special courts to deal with cases related to religious conversion.The petition states that Article 25 of the Constitution guarantees freedom of conscience and the right to profess, practice and propagate religion, subject to public order, health and morals.It holds that while all persons have the right to profess, practice and propagate religion, this freedom is not absolute and remains subject to constitutional conditions, including public order, morals and health.Also read: Infosys issues statement on Pune harassment allegations; scrutiny intensifies after Nashik TCS caseThe petition emphasizes that the freedom to act in accordance with a religion does not confer unrestricted authority to act in its name but is subject to reasonable restrictions.

The application, which is part of Upadhyay’s pending petition seeking tougher measures against fraudulent religious conversions, reiterates the need for stronger legal safeguards.Observing that religious conversion is a serious issue that should not be politicized, supreme court of india In 2023, the Center had sought help from Attorney General R Venkataramani, the Centre’s chief legal counsel, in the matter.(with PTI input)