Religious conversion of minor Jain boy: Indore court convicts mother, lover

A district court in Madhya Pradesh's Indore recently convicted two Muslim men and the mother of a minor Jain boy for illegal religious conversion of the boy..Additional Sessions Judge Jitendra Singh Kushwaha convicted child's mother Prarthana Shivhare (27), her lover Iliyas Ahmed Qureshi (33), and another person Mohammad Zafar Ali (37) and sentenced them to 10 years of rigorous imprisonment along with ₹5,000 fine.Qureshi had married Prarthana and later converted her son. The boy was forcibly circumcised and his name was changed in school records..The prosecution's case was that on July 15, 2023, the applicant, Mahesh Kumar Nahata, submitted a written complaint stating that he had married a Prarthana on June 30, 2014, in Rajasthan, as per Hindu customs. The couple had a son born on July 20, 2015.On February 25, 2018, the complainant’s father-in-law took his wife and son to Shajapur in Madhya Pradesh for a relative’s engagement ceremony. Later, on March 29, 2018, the complainant brought them back from Shajapur. However, while traveling home by bus, he realized at the Salakhedi crossing near Ratlam that his wife and son were missing. He lodged a missing report in Ratlam but later learned that his wife had left with another man, Ilyas Ahmed Qureshi.The complainant, a follower of Jainism, objected to his wife taking their son with her, but she refused to return. He filed for his son's custody in the Shajapur court, but the case could not proceed due to a lack of information about his wife’s whereabouts.Recently, the complainant received information from acquaintances that Ilyas Qureshi was living with his wife and son in Khajrana. He also alleged that Ilyas had unlawfully circumcised his son, changed his name to a Muslim identity, falsified official documents to enroll him in school, and forcibly converted both his wife and son to Islam, making them live according to Muslim customs..The Court found that another accused Mohammad Zafar Ali, had forged the Aadhaar card and birth certificate of the minor boy. It was also conclusively established that this forgery could not have been carried out without the involvement and intent of the accused, Prarthana and Qureshi."The said Aadhaar card is a document of the Government of India and the birth certificate is a document of the Government of Madhya Pradesh. Regarding the forgery of such documents, it will be presumed that the accused have forged the said Aadhaar card and birth certificate in furtherance of common intention and have thus committed fraud with the Government of India and Madhya Pradesh," the Court noted..Thus, it was proved beyond reasonable doubt that the accused used forged documents in furtherance of common intention, the Court added while convicting the accused persons."Thus, Section 420, 467 read Section-34, 468 read Section-34, 471 Indian Penal Code, 1860 and Section-05 Madhya Pradesh Religious Freedom Ordinance, 2020 against accused Ilyas and against accused Prarthana Shivhare, Section-420 read with Section-34, 467 read with Section-34, 468 read with Section-34, 471 read with Section-34 Indian Penal Code, 1860 and Section-05 Madhya Pradesh Religious Freedom Ordinance, 2020 and against accused Mohammad Zafar under Section-420 read with Section-34, 467, 468, and Section-471 read with Section 34 of the Indian Penal Code, 1860 and Section-05 read with Section 34 of Madhya Pradesh Religious Freedom Ordinance, 2020 is found proved beyond reasonable doubt," the Court noted..[Read Order]