Christian Couple Jailed Under India’s Anti-Conversion Law
A Christian couple in India has sentenced to jail under the state’s “anti-conversion” law. Jose and Sheeja Pappachan, from Uttar Pradesh, were sentenced to five years in prison after being accused of attempting to coerce individuals into converting to Christianity.
The case has raised concerns within the Christian community, which views the verdict as unfair. Additionally, the court imposed a fine of 25,000 rupees (approximately $300) on each of the couple.
A.C. Michael, the national coordinator of the United Christian Forum (UCF), which tracks anti-conversion cases, criticised the ruling, stating that the evidence did not support the allegations of forced conversions.
“This is the first time we have encountered such a sentence for a suspected conversion attempt,” Michael told UCA News. He added that the conviction “for a suspected attempt to convert will not stand the scrutiny of a higher court.”
The law in question, the Uttar Pradesh Prohibition of Unlawful Conversion of Religion Act, was amended in 2024 to allow third-party complaints about alleged conversion activities. Previously, only alleged victims or close family members could file such complaints.
In this case, the complainant was Chandrika Prasad Upadhyay, a lawmaker and member of the Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party. In January 2023, Upadhyay accused the Pappachans of targeting vulnerable Dalit communities in the Shahpur Firoz area. She alleged the couple organised an event on Christmas Day in 2022 with the intent to convert individuals.
During the trial, the couple defended their actions, stating that they sought to promote education and sobriety, not coercively convert people. They explained that they distributed Bibles, held educational assemblies, and organised community meals without any intent to induce conversions. The charges were primarily based on eyewitness testimony.
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The court upheld the charges under the anti-conversion law, as well as the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act. After spending eight months in detention, the couple was granted bail by the state’s High Court in September 2023. The High Court ruled that activities like providing education, distributing Bibles, and organising community meals did not constitute “allurement.”
The United Christian Forum also reported a troubling rise in violence against Christians in India. In 2024, the UCF documented at least 209 attacks on Christians in Uttar Pradesh alone. Nationwide, they recorded 834 verified incidents of violence and intimidation against Christians last year, a significant increase from just 127 cases in 2014.
Additionally, UCF reported that over 100 Christians are currently jailed under accusations of “forcible” conversions, often without the option of bail. “The justice process has become the punishment,” the UCF stated.
Christians, who make up 2.3% of India’s population, often face persecution under the pretext of curbing alleged “forcible” conversions. Many of these incidents are fuelled by Hindu nationalist rhetoric.
Content Credit| Agbetan Bisola
Picture Credit | https://www.vkeel.com/
