An application has been filed before the Supreme Court by BJP leader advocate Ashwini Kumar Upadhyay seeking a declaration that forced religious conversion carried out through organised means be treated as a 'terrorist act' under criminal law..The application has been filed in the top court's ongoing proceedings relating to issue of religious conversions .The application points to recent events in Nashik where senior employees in a Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) office were arrested for allegedly running an organised conversion and harassment racket."The organized religious conversion in Nasik has shaken the conscience of citizens throughout the country," the plea states.Earlier this month, a Special Investigation Team (SIT) was formed in Nashik following allegations that senior employees at the TCS office were involved in a coordinated conversion racket. Police reports and FIRs suggest that victims - primarily female subordinates - were subjected to sexual and mental harassment while being coerced to convert to Islam..The application claims that such conversions are not isolated incidents but part of coordinated operations targeting vulnerable sections, including women, economically weaker sections and tribal populations.It argues that such activities should be examined from the perspective of national security where they are alleged to be linked to coordinated efforts or foreign funding.The plea has sought directions to the Central government and States to take “stringent steps” to curb deceitful religious conversions and to treat such activities as organised crime threatening national security..The application has also sought the establishment of special courts to exclusively try cases relating to religious conversion.It also seeks a declaration that deceitful religious conversion poses a threat to sovereignty, secularism and national integrity. In support of its case, the application relies on earlier observations of the Supreme Court made in November 2022, where the Court had described allegations of forced religious conversion as a “very serious issue” if found to be true.
