Published : 03 Aug 2026, 06:46 AM
Updated : 08 Sep 2026, 09:29 AM
A high court in India has ruled that no one, including a parent, can interfere with a woman’s right to choose her religion and spouse, The Indian Express reports.
The ruling came as the Allahabad High Court heard a petition from two sisters, one in her early 20s and the other in her mid-30s, who said they had freely converted to Islam and wanted to marry men of their choice.
The court said that if the sisters had indeed acted of their own free will, any attempt by their father or others to stop them would violate their constitutional rights to dignity, privacy, personal liberty and the freedom to make their own decisions, the report added.
The sisters said they had left Hinduism of their own free will, without coercion, inducement or fraud, and accused their father of filing a false kidnapping case under Section 87 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita to stop them from exercising their legal rights.
They also alleged that he acted in connivance with local police to confine them unlawfully.
Their lawyers said the Uttar Pradesh Prohibition of Unlawful Conversion of Religion Act, 2021, did not apply because the conversions were voluntary and there was no evidence of force, misrepresentation, undue influence, coercion, allurement or fraudulent means.
The court said its first duty was to determine whether the women were acting of their own free will or were under illegal detention.
It directed the Uttar Pradesh government and the women's father to produce them before the court on Aug 6, asking the authorities to explain any failure to do so through personal affidavits detailing the steps taken to secure their appearance.
