The Supreme Court on Friday stayed the criminal proceedings in a Madhya Pradesh court against Christian missionary Ajai Lall accused of forcibly converting a couple and their two children to Christianity.
The stay will remain in force till the matter is disposed of by the apex court.
A bench comprising Chief Justice DY Chandrachud, Justice JB Pardiwala, and Justice Manoj Misra noted that the local court proceeded with the trial despite an earlier undertaking by the counsel for Madhya Pradesh before it that nothing will happen in judicial proceedings till January 5.
Earlier on December 15, 2023, the top court had heard the plea of Lall challenging his prosecution in the case for the first time. After taking note of the submissions of senior advocate Kapil Sibal, appearing for Lall, the court had issued notices to the Madhya Pradesh government and the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights.
The case was filed by NCPCR after a video of a woman who said that she, her husband, and children were asked to convert to Christianity in exchange for money and were harassed by the petitioner when they stopped going to church went viral.
