New Delhi, 12th July 2021: Retired Supreme Court judge Justice Markandey Katju wrote a short article on Hastakshep News condemning Father Stan Swamy (After Mother Teresa, Justice Katju criticized Father Stan Swamy). Now he has written a long post after the debate on his verified Facebook page, in which he has explained why he is opposed to conversion.

Following is the full text of Justice Katju’s Facebook post:

Religious conversions

I am no supporter of the BJP, but I am against religious conversions, and I wish to give my reasons.

When we study a social phenomenon we must study it not in the abstract, but in its concrete historical context.

In the abstract, a liberal person can have no objection to religious conversions, as one should have the freedom to choose one’s religion. Article 25 of the Constitution also implies that.

A lot of Indians got converted to Islam in the past, and also to Christianity.

However, we have to consider conversions today, not 500 or 1000 years ago.

I am an atheist, and regard all religions as superstitions. I believe that the truth lies in science, which is never final but always developing. So religious conversion is going from one superstition to another, from the frying pan into the fire. If one wants to convert one should ’convert’ to science.

Today our national aim must be to transform India from an underdeveloped country to a highly developed highly industrialised country. Unless we do that we will never be able to get rid of our massive poverty, record unemployment, appalling level of child malnourishment, almost lack of proper healthcare and good education for the masses, etc.

But this national objective can only be achieved by a mighty historical united people’s struggle led by modern minded leaders, culminating in a revolution which sets up a political and social order under which there is rapid industrialisation and progress.

Unity among our people is absolutely essential, if we wish the people’s struggle to succeed.

In this historical situation, whatever disrupts our unity is our main enemy. Religious conversions, in this concrete context, and in the present historical juncture, creates strife and hatred, divides the people, and so is objectively part of the divide and rule policy of our enemies. In fact I would not be surprised if foreign agencies are funding the priests who convert people, the whole game being to divide the Indian people, and incite hatred amongst them.

That is why I am against conversions