The Allahabad High Court has ruled that a person’s conversion to Islam can be considered bona fide if they are an adult of sound mind and embrace the faith out of genuine belief in the oneness of God.

Additionally, the Court emphasized that accepting the prophetic character of Mohammed is a prerequisite for a valid conversion.

The ruling came while dismissing a plea by Taufik Ahmad, who sought to quash criminal proceedings against him on charges of rape and unlawful religious conversion of a Hindu girl through misrepresentation under the Uttar Pradesh anti-conversion law.

Rejecting the petitioner’s argument that both parties had reached a settlement in the 2021 case, the Court made it clear that compromise in matters of rape is not acceptable.

“Any compromise or settlement regarding the offence of rape, which undermines a woman's dignity and strikes at the core of her honor, cannot be accepted by this Court,” Justice Manju Rani Chauhan observed in the order dated March 27.

The Court also highlighted that the objective of the UP anti-conversion law is to prevent conversions obtained through misrepresentation, force, coercion, undue influence, or fraudulent means. It clarified that a religious conversion is considered bona fide only when it reflects a sincere change of heart and a genuine conviction in the principles of the new faith.