Christians to move court against Freedom of Religion Act

Shimla, Feb 22 (UNI) A Christian organisation today threatened to challenge in the High Court the recently enacted Freedom of Religion Act, 2006, by the Himachal Pradesh Government, saying it was a crude attempt to curtail freedom of faith.

Addressing a press conference here, All India Christian Council's Secretary General John Dayal said the Act was a ''political gimmick'' by the state Congress Government and should be withdrawn immediately.

If the government did not repeal it, the Council would move the HP High Court and even the Supreme Court, if the need arose, he said.

Mr Dayal said that it was unfortunate that the Act was enacted in a surreptitious manner and without being presented to the public for debate or discussion.

Alleging that the Act had been enacted at the behest of Hindu fundamentalists, to target the Christians, he said, ''it is our experience that it favours a particular religion and denies people any freedom of faith''.

Lamenting that economic liberalisation had failed in improving the socio-economic lot of the Christians in the country as a whole, Mr Dayal said despite several requests to the UPA Government at the Centre, for assessing the community's economic condition, rural backwardness, urban poverty and lack of access to financial resources, it had done nothing so far.

Replying to a question, he denied that missionaries were curing people to convert to Christianity, saying it was ''mere propaganda by the fundamentalists to target them''.

UNI