Jharkhand High Court Seeks Immediate Response on Tribal Conversion Issue

The Jharkhand High Court has directed both Centre and state governments to submit responses on the issue of tribal conversions. It noted that tribals are often misled into changing their religion. The court combined two PILs addressing illegal conversions and Bangladeshi immigration, setting the next hearing for September 5.

The Jharkhand High Court on Friday directed the Centre and state governments to file an immediate response regarding the conversion of tribals in the state.

The court noted that tribals are often converted to other religions, leading to a decline in their population numbers. A division bench consisting of Acting Chief Justice Sujit Narain Prasad and Justice Arun Kumar Rai was reviewing a public interest litigation filed by Soma Oraon on the issue.

During the hearing, the high court was informed that tribals in remote areas are being misled or lured into adopting different faiths. Several faith-healing events known as 'changai sabhas' are reportedly contributing to this trend.

The Jharkhand government and the Centre had not submitted their responses yet. The court criticized the non-compliance of the governments on this crucial issue impacting tribal communities.

Government counsels reported that data on tribal conversions is being collected across various districts. The court directed both the Centre and state government to file their affidavits, scheduling the next hearing for September 5. Meanwhile, the petitioner's counsel, Rohit Ranjan Sinha, mentioned that a similar PIL is pending before the Supreme Court.

The court also noted a related PIL filed by Daniel Danish on illegal immigration of Bangladeshi refugees, which also highlighted tribal conversions. It ordered both PILs to be tagged and heard together.

(With inputs from agencies.)