Supreme Court dismisses plea alleging "pitiable condition", forcible conversion of Hindus in Mewat, Haryana

The Supreme Court on Monday rejected a plea alleging that the dominant members of the Muslim community in the Mewat District of Haryana have overpowered Hindus of the area.

. A Bench of Chief Justice of India NV Ramana, and Justices AS Bopanna and Hrishikesh Roy declined to entertain the petition stating "dismissed".

The plea filed by a group of lawyers and activists through Advocate Vishnu Shankar Jain stated that a number of Hindus have been forcibly converted to Islam and a number of Hindu women and minor girls abducted and raped in the Nuh district which was earlier known as Mewat.

"A number of Hindus have been forcibly converted to Islam and a number of Hindu women and minor girls have been abducted and raped. The Hindu women are not safe at all. The Muslims at a large number have committed atrocities on members of Schedule caste," the petition said.

The petition, therefore, prayed for an SIT consisting of members of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and the National Investigation Agency (NIA), monitored by a retired Supreme Court judge, to look into the aspect of forceful conversion, rape of Hindu women, minor girls, and illegal encroachment of properties.

The Court was also urged to nullify all sale deeds executed by Hindus in favour of Muslims in last 10 years under coercion and undue influence.

The plea claimed that the right to life and personal liberty, and religious rights of the Hindus of the area are being "eroded by members of Muslim community who are in dominating position and the State Government as well as District Administration."

. The plea stated that the local police has failed to exercise the powers vested in them by law, due to which the life and liberty of every Hindu is in jeopardy.

. The petition further stated that Muslims under the patronage of the Tablighi Jamaat have gradually increased their strength "and now the position is that Hindus Population is decreasing and it has come down from 20% to 10-11% since the last census 2011."

. The plea relied on a May 31, 2020 report by a four-member committee which visited the area, took evidence from several villagers, and submitted a copy to the Chief Minister of Haryana.

.Hindus of Nuh, Mewat in pitiable condition: Plea in Supreme Court seeks SIT probe into forceful conversion and crimes against women. Claiming several instances of forceful conversion or "atrocities on Hindus", the petition raised the following questions, among others:

(i) Whether Central Government is under Constitutional obligation to deploy Armed Force/Paramilitary force to protect the District Mewat Nuh from internal disturbance in exercise of the powers vested in it under Article 355 of the Constitution of India?

(ii) Whether the State Government and all the officers working under it are under constitutional obligation to maintain public order taking the recourse of law?

. It was further stated that the State of Haryana failed to "disclose the facts of various FIRs and complaints of various heinous crimes, lodged by Hindus against Muslims for their tortures and atrocities committed on them, leave apart taking any action on the said FIRs or complaints."

. Stating that anti-national elements are very active in Mewat, the petitioners claimed that the State is not "taking interest to look into the miseries of the citizens residing in District Mewat-Nuh and they are bound to lead life of an animal."

Supreme Court dismisses plea alleging "pitiable condition", forcible conversion of Hindus in Mewat, Haryana

Debayan Roy

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