JOIN USPIL alleging increasing attacks on Christians meant to create unrest, seek foreign funds: MHA to SC
The Union government has told the Supreme Court a PIL alleging an increase in attacks on Christians was based on falsehood and half-baked with some self-serving articles, documents, and press reports, intended to create unrest throughout the country and perhaps seek funds from abroad.
"There appears to be some hidden oblique agenda in filing such deceptive petitions, creating an unrest throughout the country and perhaps for getting assistance from outside the country to meddle with internal affairs of our nation," the Ministry of Home Affairs said.
Rev Dr Peter Machado of National Solidarity Forum, Rev Vijayesh Lal of Evangelical Fellowship of India and others filed the PIL in the top court seeking directions to stop the alleged violence against the members of Christian community in the country.
The Union of India and all States, including all Union Territories, have been made parties in the petition.
On Tuesday, a bench presided over by Justice D Y Chandrachud posted the matter for consideration on August 25, after the petitioners sought time to file their rejoinder.
The written response filed by the Centre stated petitioners claimed to have based the petition on information gathered through sources like press reports, “independent” online databases, and from findings of various non-profit organisations.
Enquiries reveal that majority of the incidents alleged as Christian persecution in these reports were either false or wrongfully projected.
In some cases, incidents of purely criminal nature and arising out of personal issues, have been categorised as violence targeting Christians. Several incidents, which were found to be true or exaggerated, were not necessarily related to incidents of violence targeting Christians. For instance, incidents wherein merely complaints or accusations were made against Christians had also been cited as instances of persecution of a particular community in the report, the Ministry said.
With reference to annexure in PIL, citing ‘Christians Under Attack in India- a fact finding report’ prepared by the Association for Protection of Civil Rights (APCR), the UCF, and United Against Hate (UAH), a preliminary factual check and the inputs received thereof reveals that most of the allegations and observations made in the report were found to be unfounded and the majority of the incidents quoted either were false or deliberately exaggerated, and uncorroborated, it claimed.
The government maintained that issues highlighted can always be taken care of by law enforcement agencies in respective States under the process of law or by the affected parties by approaching the respective High Courts.
"It is a recent trend that certain organisations start planting articles and preparing self-serving reports themselves or through their associates, which eventually become the basis of a writ petition / PIL. This is a hazardous trend and defeats the very object as to why PIL jurisdiction was originated by this court," it said.