India court upholds women's conversion rights

The Allahabad High Court heard a habeas‑corpus petition filed by two adult sisters, aged 20 and 35, who voluntarily left Hinduism and embraced Islam. The sisters alleged that their father had illegally confined them and filed a false FIR under Uttar Pradesh’s anti‑conversion law. On July 31, the court ordered the state police to produce the sisters by August 6 and warned that any interference would violate their constitutional rights to dignity, privacy, liberty and personal autonomy. It noted that because the conversion was voluntary, the Uttar Pradesh Prohibition of Unlawful Conversion of Religion Act, 2021, did not apply.

Two days later, the court reiterated its stance, explicitly affirming that adult women have the fundamental right to choose their religion, marry a partner of their choice, decide where to live and make other personal decisions. The judgment reinforced the earlier order to the police and the father, emphasizing that any attempt to restrict these choices would constitute an unlawful encroachment on protected rights.

On August 10, the court ruled that the sisters' confinement was an “exceptionally grave and egregious violation of constitutional rights.” Rejecting state arguments that the conversion was part of a conspiracy against national sovereignty, the court ordered the Uttar Pradesh government and the father to jointly pay ₹25 lakh in compensation for the unlawful detention. The judge emphasized that the women embraced Islam for spiritual reasons without coercion or fraud. Additionally, the court ordered the father to return all personal documents and belongings to the women within seven days and directed the State to ensure their protection.