Allahabad High Court orders compensation for sisters confined over religious conversion

What Happened

The Allahabad High Court has ordered the release of two adult sisters who claimed their father confined them for embracing Islam. The court directed the father and the Uttar Pradesh government to jointly pay ₹25 lakh in compensation to the sisters for the alleged unlawful deprivation of their fundamental rights.

The sisters, aged 35 and 20, stated that they voluntarily converted to Islam and that their confinement involved physical restraint, intimidation, and mental harassment. They also alleged that their personal documents and belongings were withheld by their father.

Key Facts

• The Allahabad High Court ordered the release of two adult sisters.
• The sisters claimed they were confined by their father for embracing Islam.
• The court directed the father and the Uttar Pradesh government to jointly pay ₹25 lakh in compensation.
• The court stated that parental authority does not permit the incarceration of adult children due to disapproval of their faith or personal choices.
• The sisters reportedly converted to Islam in 2020 and 2021.
• One sister is 35 years old, and the other is 20 years old.
• The court ordered the father to return the women's passports, educational certificates, identity documents, bank passbooks, cheque books, and conversion-related documents.

Background

The sisters had allegedly embraced Islam and later escaped their home. Their father then registered a police case alleging abduction for forced marriage. Agra police traced the sisters to Kolkata and arrested individuals from another community. The court noted that after the women were brought back from Kolkata, charges including those under the Uttar Pradesh Prohibition of Unlawful Conversion of Religion Act were invoked against the arrested individuals.