Religious Conversion to Islam is Bona Fide if It is by Free Will: Allahabad High Court

The Allahabad High Court ruled that religious conversion to Islam is bona fide and legally valid if it is carried out by an adult of sound mind with free will driven by genuine faith and belief in the religion's principles.

The case involved Taufik Ahmad, who was accused of coercing a Hindu woman to convert to Islam and unlawfully confining her. He later sought to quash the criminal case after reaching a compromise with the complainant, which the court denied.

The court emphasized that only voluntary conversions are lawful and those resulting from coercion, deceit, or undue influence are not only invalid but constitute serious criminal offenses.