Allahabad HC Rebukes ADM for Rejecting Muslim Man's Voluntary Hindu Conversion

The Allahabad High Court recently reprimanded an Additional District Magistrate (ADM) for repeatedly ordering police inquiries under Uttar Pradesh's anti-conversion law against a Muslim man who voluntarily converted to Hinduism. The man, Anil Pandit (formerly Mohammad Ahashan), an Assistant Professor at Allahabad University, had followed the legal process for conversion, including submitting a declaration and undergoing police inquiries that confirmed his conversion was voluntary. However, the ADM, influenced by a criminal case lodged by the petitioner's father-in-law against him, ordered further inquiries and ultimately rejected his conversion application. The High Court stayed the ADM's order, directing a fresh decision considering the initial favorable police reports and the Court's interaction with the petitioner and his wife. The Court criticized the ADM's focus on the criminal case instead of strictly verifying the conversion's procedural compliance.