Allahabad HC frees man confinedafter conversion, relationship with Muslim woman, cites Articles 21, 25

The Allahabad High Court on Wednesday set at liberty a 31-year-old man, Ayush Malik, who had accused his father of illegally confining him after he converted to Islam and entered into a relationship with a Muslim woman, Chandni Qureshi.

Based on Mr. Ayush’s submission that he had voluntarily embraced Islam in 2014 and accepted Ms. Qureshi as his partner, the court observed that the choice of a person with whom an adult wishes to establish a matrimonial relationship forms part of the right to life and personal liberty under Article 21 of the Constitution.

It added that such choices cannot be curtailed merely because they are contrary to the wishes of family members.

Following Mr. Ayush’s conversion from Hinduism to Islam, the police in Shamli district registered a case under the Uttar Pradesh Prohibition of Unlawful Conversion of Religion Act, 2021 against Ms. Qureshi and her father.