Justice M W Chandwani of the Bombay High Court’s Nagpur bench ruled on October 6 that merely promoting a religion does not constitute an offense under laws prohibiting the insult of religious beliefs. The court quashed both the FIR and the chargesheet against four individuals from Amravati, clearing them of charges related to outraged religious feelings.
The four accused—Joseph Khudawant, his son Victor Khudawant, daughter-in-law Elvina Khudawant, and social worker Anant Mankar—were initially booked in January for allegedly pressuring a Hindu couple to convert to Christianity. The prosecution claimed the group offered financial incentives, including monthly payments, educational support for children, and house construction, to induce the conversion.
However, the court found that the alleged acts lacked the malicious intent required to offend a class of citizens’ religious sentiments. Justice Chandwani noted that the accused were, at most, promoting their faith, which the court determined does not legally equate to outraging religious feelings. The decision highlights a legal distinction between proselytizing with incentives and actively insulting a religion.
Timing played a critical role in the ruling. The court observed that the alleged incident took place in 2025, a period when Maharashtra had no specific law prohibiting conversion through allurement. The state subsequently enacted a new law to protect religious freedom and ban unlawful conversions, which officially came into force on August 28, 2026. The court’s order effectively places the incident outside the scope of the new legislative framework.
With the FIR and chargesheet quashed, the legal case against the four accused is now closed. The ruling sets a precedent for how courts will interpret charges of religious insult in cases involving proselytization and financial incentives, particularly in the context of the newly enforced Maharashtra conversion law.