An Indian Catholic lay leader welcomed the decision of the country’s Supreme Court to entertain a petition seeking for the establishment of a board to monitor the activities of Christian missionaries.
“Good directive from the Supreme Court,” said Chhotebhai, convener of Indian Catholic Forum, in a report on Matters India.
He said, however, that it is “unfortunate” that even in the high court “there is a lot of subjectivity in deciding on sensitive matters like hijab.”
“Still it is our only hope,” said the lay leader who used to be national president of the All India Catholic Union.
On March 25, India’s Supreme Court rejected a petition filed by the Hindu Dharma Parishad, warning the organization that it would face a fine if it came up with the same petition again.
The petition, which was earlier dismissed by the Madras High Court, argued that Christian missionaries are aggressive in religious conversions.
Last year, several state officials called for the monitoring of the activities of Christian missionaries who allegedly enter tribal areas and persuade non-Christian tribal people to be converted.
“The order is premeditated, bigoted, far from neutral and against the constitution,” said Arun Pannalal, president of Chhattisgarh Christian Forum, in a press statement in July last year.
Many critics say that after the Bharatiya Janata Party came to power in New Delhi in 2014, attacks on minorities have seen a significant increase.
The BJP ran the government in the state for five years until 2018, when the Congress party unseated it. But the BJP and its affiliated groups are active in the state campaigning against Christians.
