PANAJI
Sodiem-Siolim based pastor, Domnic D'Souza who was arrested by Mapusa police on Thursday on complaints alleging coercive religious conversion to Christianity was granted bail under multiple conditions by Mapusa JMFC's court on Friday evening.
JMFC Reina Fernandes in her order directed the jail authorities at Colvale to release D'Souza on furnishing a bail bond and surety of Rs 10,000 besides a set of half-a-dozen other conditions including he having to report to the investigating officer whenever required.
Other bail conditions imposed on D'Souza debar him from repeating the same offence and from offering any inducements to any persons familiar with the case so as to dissuade them from disclosing facts to the court or any police officer.
On Thursday, Mapusa police had booked D'Souza, his partner Joan Mascarenhas besides other "unknown associates" who operate from a church styled 'Five Pillars Church' at Sodiem in Siolim.
However, only D'Souza was arrested in the case which has attracted widespread attention from various quarters in the State.
Offences registered in the FIR against D'Souza and his associates are under the IPC sections 153-A which deal with promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of religion and 295-A dealing with deliberate and malicious acts intended to outrage reli¬gious feelings of any class by insulting its religion or beliefs.
Another section 506 of IPC, dealing with criminal intimidation was also applied besides sections 3, 4 of the Drugs and Magic Remedies (Objectionable Advertisements) Act, 1954 related to their activities of healing services.
The FIR, however, has no offence booked specifically related to the allegation of 'coercive conversion' against D'Souza or his associates as alleged in the complaints.
Assistant Public Prosecutor Ms P Narulkar, in her oral arguments before the JMFC while opposing the bail application, nonetheless, brought on record that the complainant has mentioned that he was 'forcibly converted' by the accused to the religion the latter professes (Christianity).
Advocate Kapil Kerkar, who represented D'Souza, however refuted the allegation of 'coercive conversion' in the specific circumstances of the case.
"When the complainant himself claims that it was he who went to my client, where is the question of any coercion or conversion forcibly?," Kerkar questioned.
Meanwhile, earlier on Friday, D'Souza was admitted to the Asilo Hospital after he complained of chest pain, police said, adding that he was also remanded to judicial custody before his bail application was granted by the Mapusa JMFC.
The case has evinced keen interest in several quarters in the State, perhaps owing to the ongoing media narrative over religious conversions and a recent claim by Chief Minister Pramod Sawant that people from marginalised and economically backward sections were being targeted.
Legal sources, meanwhile, said Goa has no law against religious conversion and criminality in cases of conversion comes into play only in case it involves fraud, offer of allurements or use of criminal force.
