‘Mass conversion had no official sanction’

The Ahmedabad collectorate has acknowledged receipt of 1,008 applications,but the rest of the converts come from other districts,mainly from Vadodara and Anand. The collector’s office said the applications were going to be scrutinised and police verification of the applicants yet to take place. They said any conversion prior to obtaining permission violated the Gujarat Freedom of Religion Act,2003 and the rules framed under it in 2008.

Rule 4(1) of Gujarat Freedom of Religion Rules,2008,says: “On receipt of the application made under sub rule (1) of rule 3,the district magistrate shall,after making such inquiry as he thinks necessary,may grant permission within a period of one month from the date of receipt of the application.”

The collector’s office also said that action is taken in such cases when a complaint is registered with the police and collectorate. So far,no such complaint has been received,sources in the collector’s office said.

Balkrishna Anand,convenor of Buddh Dhamma Deeksha Angikar Abhiyan (Gujarat),which had organised the meet,maintained that no permission was actually required for people to convert to Buddhism”. Denying that the conversion ceremony was pending scrutiny and it would not be legal without permission from the district magistrates concerned,he said there was nothing wrong in what they did.

Even as Anand said three to four thousand people from Ahmedabad district converted to Buddhism on January 24 and that the applications were submitted a month ago,the Ahmedabad collector’s records show only 1,008 applications received between December 9,2009 and January 2010. “ These applications are currently under scrutiny and permission is yet to be granted,” said officials in the collector’s office without commenting on the legal status of the issue.

“No permission is required and we can hold deeksha ceremony without waiting for it. If it is illegal,then it is up to the collectors concerned to take whatever action they think necessary,” Anand said.

Civil rights lawyer Girish Patel said: “Re-conversion without prior permission may be technically illegal,but Dalits defying it is justifiable. A petition challenging this Act is pending before court.” He said that if they thought this Act was amenable to challenge in the court of law,then they should not have applied for permission for exercising their right to freedom of religion.