The Allahabad High Court on Thursday refused to quash the case against two Class 12 students under Uttar Pradesh’s anti-conversion law in an alleged attempt to convert a Hindu classmate. The UP anti-conversion law case centres on claims of forced religious influence among school students.
A Division Bench of Justice JJ Munir and Justice Tarun Saxena said allegations of forced religious conversion among students are disturbing.
“If this kind of a trend comes to be seen amongst young people, it is all the more disturbing. This is a time in their lives when they should be thinking more towards developing their skills in different fields of education and dedicating themselves to the service of society and the nation,” the court said, as reported by Bar and Bench.
The case stems from a complaint filed by the Hindu student’s brother. He alleged that the accused forced his sister to wear a burqa and accept Islam.
The court further observed that halting the 2021 anti-conversion law at an early stage of its enforcement would undermine the statute and defeat its purpose. However, it also cautioned against misuse of the law through false implications.
“This does not mean that false implications under a new statute are to be encouraged. At the same time, the purpose for which the statute has been enacted cannot be subverted by snuffing out prosecutions brought on tangible materials at the threshold,” the court said, as Bar and Bench reported.
The Case
In December 2025, a purported video circulated online. It showed a group of girls in an alley. One of them wore a burqa, while another girl tried to assist her. The video originated from Moradabad.
The footage shows a group of girls laughing while a Hindu girl is given a burqa. In the background, one girl comments that she would look good in it.
Rajeev Chaudhary, whose CCTV camera recorded the incident, said local residents alerted him. He said some women nearby mentioned that a Hindu girl was being asked to wear a burqa. He then checked the CCTV footage. After reviewing it, he shared it with the police. Chaudhary added that he does not know how the video later circulated widely on social media, FOEJ Media learned.
“The CCTV footage is from December 20, 2025. A burqa is visible in the footage, and we are investigating why the girls had an extra burqa. The FIR was registered on January 22 after the video began circulating on social media,” Inspector Ashok Kumar, the investigating officer, told The Indian Express.
Police later booked the Muslim girls under UP’s Anti-Conversion Act. They alleged the girls tried to persuade a minor from another community to wear a burqa in Moradabad.
Notably, the Moradabad Police had earlier stated that it found no evidence of religious conversion or any criminal activity in the case.
Families Present Differing Claims
The family of the accused called it a misunderstanding. They said the girls acted in childishness. Meanwhile, the Hindu girl alleged that the others pressured her to wear a burqa while returning from classes, FOEJ Media learned.
However, the uncle of one accused gave another version. He said the girl carried a burqa to help Hindu girls avoid being seen by their families as they planned to go out for snacks, FOEJ Media reported.
Three of the accused students later approached the High Court. They sought to quash the case and said the allegations are false.
