'State Police Biased': SC Rebukes UP Police For 'Arbitrary Use' Of Anti-Conversion Law
A bench of CJI Sanjiv Khanna and Justice Sanjay Kumar was hearing a bail plea of a petitioner who is accused in a case of alleged rape and unlawful conversion.
The Supreme Court on Thursday rebuked the Uttar Pradesh Police for invoking the anti-conversion law in an alleged case of rape.
A bench of CJI Sanjiv Khanna and Justice Sanjay Kumar was hearing a bail plea of a petitioner who is accused in a case of alleged rape and unlawful conversion, according to the Live Law.
The counsel of the petitioner submitted that the petitioner has been in jail for the last 8 months. While the UP government's counsel sought additional time to file a counter affidavit, adding that the case involved charges of gang rape.
The court, while issuing a notice in the matter on the last hearing, said, "This is a case of a consensual relationship where the parties were known to each other for a long time and the complainant/victim has a child from an earlier relationship/marriage, but wrong allegations are being made to put the petitioner behind bars."
The apex court took a strong objection on the action of the UP police, saying "Leave it, in fact, I am also surprised, I don't want to use the word, the state police is also biased...how can it be ? The facts speak for themselves, and you are invoking that Conversion Act for nothing."
The court also rebuked the police for the arbitrary use of the Unlawful Conversion of Religion Act 2021 saying the police had wrongly applied the anti-conversion law.
"There is nothing in it....you are not being fair in this, the state is not being fair in this....facts speak for themselves. And invoking the conversion act? Uncalled for! absolutely uncalled for," the court said.
The court also granted the state of UP two weeks to file a response or a rejoinder, if any.
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