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Education
Madhya Pradesh High Court Upholds FIR on Religious Conversion in Damoh School Hijab Case
✍️ livelaw.in
🗓 10 Sep 2026, 02:03 AM
👁 27
The Madhya Pradesh High Court refused to quash a first information report alleging illegal religious conversion against school staff and former office bearers involved in the Damoh hijab controversy.
The bench of the Madhya Pradesh High Court has rejected a petition seeking to withdraw a first information report (FIR) that accuses several school employees and former office bearers of facilitating illegal religious conversion. The FIR was lodged in connection with the ongoing hijab dispute at a school in Damoh, where the attire of female students became a flashpoint for communal tension.
According to the court's order, the allegations of conversion are not merely administrative matters but fall under the purview of criminal law, warranting a full investigation. The judges noted that the FIR, filed under the Madhya Pradesh Prohibition of Unlawful Religious Conversion Act, contains sufficient prima facie evidence to proceed.
Legal experts say the decision underscores the judiciary's willingness to intervene in school‑related religious controversies when they intersect with criminal statutes. The ruling also signals that authorities will continue to scrutinise any attempts to influence students' faith under the guise of school policy.
Stakeholders, including the school management and local community groups, have been advised to cooperate with investigative agencies while the case moves through the regular legal process.
According to the court's order, the allegations of conversion are not merely administrative matters but fall under the purview of criminal law, warranting a full investigation. The judges noted that the FIR, filed under the Madhya Pradesh Prohibition of Unlawful Religious Conversion Act, contains sufficient prima facie evidence to proceed.
Legal experts say the decision underscores the judiciary's willingness to intervene in school‑related religious controversies when they intersect with criminal statutes. The ruling also signals that authorities will continue to scrutinise any attempts to influence students' faith under the guise of school policy.
Stakeholders, including the school management and local community groups, have been advised to cooperate with investigative agencies while the case moves through the regular legal process.