The Jharkhand High Court has directed the Centre and the state government to promptly file a response regarding the conversion of tribals in the state. The court noted that there has been a decline in the tribal population due to conversions to other religions.
A bench of Acting Chief Justice Sujit Narain Prasad and Justice Arun Kumar Rai was hearing a public interest litigation (PIL) filed by Soma Oraon on this issue. During the hearing, the court was informed that tribals in remote areas of the state are being misled and, at times, enticed into adopting different religions.
The court was also informed that several faith-healing programmes, known as ‘changai sabhas,’ are being organized in Jharkhand, which often misguide innocent tribals and lead them to convert to other faiths. Despite the significance of the issue, the Jharkhand government and the Centre had failed to submit their responses.
In an oral observation, the court expressed concern that both the state and Union governments appear to be non-compliant on this critical matter, which affects the existence of the tribal community. The government counsel informed the court that data on tribal conversions is currently being collected across various districts in the state.
The court has directed both the Centre and state government to submit their affidavits, and the matter is scheduled for further hearing on September 5, 2024.
Rohit Ranjan Sinha, counsel for the petitioner, informed the bench that a similar PIL is pending before the Supreme Court of India.
The high court also observed that another PIL, filed by Daniel Danish, related to the illegal immigration of Bangladeshi refugees into the state through the Santhal Pargana districts, has also highlighted the issue of tribal conversions. The court ordered that the PILs filed by Oraon and Danish be tagged together, and they will be heard jointly.
