SC Rejects Plea Over Hoardings 'Prohibiting' Entry Of Pastors In Chhattisgarh Villages

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Monday junked a plea challenging an order passed by the Chhattisgarh High Court in a matter pertaining to hoardings which allegedly prohibit the entry of pastors and converted Christians in some villages in the state.

The matter came up before a bench comprising justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta. In October last year, the high court had disposed of two separate pleas seeking the removal of such hoardings.

The high court, while referring to an apex court verdict, had observed that the installation of hoardings for preventing forcible conversion by way of allurement or fraudulent means cannot be termed as unconstitutional.

During the hearing today, senior advocate Colin Gonsalves, appearing for the petitioner, referred to a separate matter relating to alleged attacks on pastors, which is pending before the apex court.

Solicitor General Tushar Mehta said the plea before the high court was limited, but the petitioner has now added several new facts and documents in the petition filed in the apex court.

The bench asked Gonsalves to see the directions issued by the high court. Gonsalves contended that it said go before the gram sabha.

The bench said whatever the competent authority and pointed out that there was a statutory scheme, and told Gonsalves that he should have approached the appropriate authority, and it would have examined the matter.

After hearing the submissions, the bench dismissed the petition.

The high court had observed that the petitioners were raising the alleged issue of segregation of the Christian community and their religious leaders from the mainstream village community.

The petitioners had claimed before the high court that authorities had circulated a format of resolution in Kanker district, instructing the Gram Panchayat to pass a resolution in the name and style “Hamari Parampara Hamari Virasat”.

The petitioners alleged that the real intention of circulating this circular to the Gram Panchayat was to instruct them to pass a resolution prohibiting the entry of Christian pastors and the so-called converted Christians in the village.

The petitioners had claimed before the high court that at least eight villages of Kanker district had erected hoardings which say that the entry of pastors and “converted Christians” was prohibited in the village.

In the high court, the state’s counsel had argued that the petitioners had filed the pleas merely on the basis of apprehension that the hoardings were being erected at the instance of government authorities.

The high court had directed the petitioners to avail the statutory remedy before approaching the court.

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