Top Legal Developments This Week [10-16 August 2026] | Tarun Tejpal’s Conviction; Bar Council Co-option; UPI Charges Clarified; and 20+ more stories
A quick roundup to cover all the important legal developments and cases this week.
Religious Conversion
“Exceptionally grave and egregious violation of constitutional rights”: All HC releases daughters confined by father for converting to Islam, orders 25 Lakhs compensation
The Court remarked that the daughters, despite being major, educated and legally competent women, were deprived of their liberty for a prolonged period, solely because they exercised their constitutionally protected freedom of conscience and chose to profess a religion different from that professed by their family.
“Certain People Thrust Their Religion on Others”: Allahabad HC Refuses Relief to Young Women Accused of Compelling Friend to Convert to Islam
“We must be alive to the situation that UPPUCRA was enacted to curtail an emergent situation in society, where, certain persons go about not professing or propagating their religion, but thrusting it upon others in the belief that the religion they believe in must be followed by others.”
Kerala HC permits name change in marriage certificate after woman’s religious conversion under Article 226
“Rule 13 of the Kerala Registration of Marriage (Common) Rules, 2008 restricts major changes in the marriage register, permitting only corrections of errors in form or substance or fraudulent or improper entries, subject to conditions in sub-rule (2).”
Interference of State authorities in conversion procedure under UP Conversion Act is conspicuous: Supreme Court
While quashing multiple FIRs under UP Conversion Act, 2021, the Court observed that statutory requirement of making public the personal details of each person who has converted to a different religion, may require a deeper examination.
Explained: The Case in which Karnataka High Court did not consider Distribution of Pamphlets about teachings of Islam outside Temple as Religious Conversion
The Court observed that the complainant lacked locus standi to lodge an FIR, which could only be lodged by the converted person, their parents, and siblings, or relatives by blood, marriage, adoption, or association.
Conversion to derive reservation benefit without actual belief in other religion can’t be permitted: SC
In the instant case, the Court rejected the appellant’s contention that caste would be under eclipse upon conversion and will resume upon reconversion.
Necessary to give message to society that Courts are vigilant to regulate forcible religious conversion of underprivileged women & children: Karnataka HC
The Court further pointed out that while considering the bail applications, the factors which are required to be considered are nature of offence, gravity thereof and societal impact etc.
Allahabad High Court denies bail to Maulana accused of performing Nikaah after forced conversion to Islam
Allahabad High Court said that the informant in her statement recorded under Section 164 CrPC had categorically submitted that she was forced to accept ‘Islam’ and Nikaah was performed. Thus, the applicant being “Religion Convertor” is equally liable under the Act, 2021.
Constitution only permits right to freedom of religion not right to convert others: Allahabad High Court
The statement of object and reason for enforcing the Uttar Pradesh Prohibition of Unlawful Conversion of Religion Act, was to provide for prohibition of unlawful conversion from one religion to another by misrepresentation, force, undue influence, coercion, allurement or by any fraudulent means or by marriage and for the matters connected therewith or incidental thereto
‘Majority will become minority, if religious congregation where conversions are taking place are not stopped’; Allahabad HC denies bail to man accused of religious conversion
“It is against the Constitutional mandate of Article 25 of the Constitution which does not provide for religious conversion, it only provides freedom of conscience and free profession, practice and propagation of religion.“
Dissolution as the Resolution: Use of Section 13-B of the Hindu Marriage Act, 1955 in Appellate Jurisdiction(s)
by Ravi Shankar* and Akanksha Natesan**
Fatwa to kill Waseem Rizvi for renouncing Islam: Read why Allahabad High Court denied anticipatory bail to Maulana Syed
Allahabad High Court remarked that Maulana Syed claims himself to be an Islamic religious scholar and he has claimed that he had made the statements “In light of the provisions of Holy Quran and Islamic jurisprudence” and “In the light of Shia school of thought, philosophy & jurisprudence” but he has not referred to a single verse of the Holy Quran.
All HC | Order reserved in Kashi Vishwanath Temple-Gyanvapi Masjid Land Title Dispute; Court to decide maintainability [Religious Character]
Allahabad High Court: Prakash Padia, J., reserved a judgment in a plea which was filed challenging the maintainability of a civil suit
All HC | Right to choose partner irrespective of caste, creed, religion is integral part of right to life and personal liberty under Article 21
Allahabad High Court: The Division Bench of Pankaj Naqvi and Vivek Agarwal, JJ., observed that, Right to live with a person of his/her