In a landmark ruling, a district court in Madhya Pradesh’s Indore has sentenced three individuals, including the mother of a minor Jain boy, to 10 years of rigorous imprisonment for the boy’s illegal religious conversion. The court found them guilty of forgery, fraud, and forced religious conversion under the Madhya Pradesh Religious Freedom Ordinance, 2020.
Additional Sessions Judge Jitendra Singh Kushwaha convicted Prarthana Shivhare (27), her partner Iliyas Ahmed Qureshi (33), and Mohammad Zafar Ali (37) after evidence revealed that the minor boy was forcibly circumcised, given a new name in school records, and had his official documents forged to reflect a new religious identity.
Case Background
The case was initiated following a complaint by Mahesh Kumar Nahata, the boy’s biological father, who stated that his wife Prarthana had left him in 2018 with their son and was later found living with Qureshi in Khajrana. He alleged that Qureshi had illegally converted both his wife and son to Islam, falsified documents, and compelled them to live under Muslim customs.
During the investigation, it was revealed that accused Mohammad Zafar Ali had forged the Aadhaar card and birth certificate of the minor boy, facilitating the conversion and name change.
Court’s Observations
The court highlighted the fraudulent manipulation of government records, stating:
“The Aadhaar card is a document of the Government of India, and the birth certificate is a document of the Government of Madhya Pradesh. Regarding the forgery of such documents, it will be presumed that the accused have forged the said Aadhaar card and birth certificate in furtherance of common intention and have thus committed fraud with the Government of India and Madhya Pradesh.”
Additionally, the court ruled that the prosecution had proved beyond reasonable doubt that the accused acted with criminal intent, stating:
“It is established that forged documents were used in furtherance of a common intention, thereby committing offenses under the Indian Penal Code and the Madhya Pradesh Religious Freedom Ordinance, 2020.”
Conviction and Sentencing
The court found Qureshi and Shivhare guilty under IPC Sections 420 (cheating), 467 (forgery of valuable security), 468 (forgery for cheating), and 471 (using forged documents), along with Section 5 of the Madhya Pradesh Religious Freedom Ordinance, 2020.
Mohammad Zafar Ali was also convicted under similar sections for his role in document forgery. Each of the three accused was sentenced to 10 years of rigorous imprisonment and fined ₹5,000.
