A High Court in central India has affirmed the right of Catholic parishes to carry out Christmas carol singing after local authorities attempted to restrict the activity, in a ruling welcomed by church leaders.
Dozens of Christians across India are spending the Christmas season in detention after being charged under state anti-conversion laws, raising fresh concerns among church leaders and human rights groups about religious freedom in the country.
Karnataka has approved a new law aimed at curbing hate speech and hate crimes, a move welcomed by church leaders and human rights advocates who say it offers stronger protection for religious minorities, including Christians.
Violent clashes broke out in a village in Chhattisgarh this month after local tribal residents objected to the burial of a Christian man, raising fresh concerns over the safety of Christian communities in the region.
Schools across Uttar Pradesh will not observe a holiday on December 25 this year, the BJP-led Yogi Adityanath government announced on Sunday, December 22.
The high court in Madhya Pradesh has ruled that Catholics do not need government or police permission to sing Christmas carols while visiting homes, easing concerns among the state’s small Christian community ahead of the festive season.
He made the remarks on Dec. 18 during a Christmas celebration in New Delhi attended by senior political leaders, diplomats and Church officials.
The Vishwa Hindu Parishad has issued a controversial appeal asking Hindus to boycott Christmas celebrations, targeting not only individuals but also shopkeepers, shopping malls and schools that observe the Christian festival.
A mob attacked Christian tribals and manhandled police in Gram Panchayat Bade Tevda, Kanker district, on 17 December, demanding exhumation of a body buried a day earlier according to Christian rites.
The management of Seventh-day Adventist Higher Secondary School in Ahmedabad’s Maninagar area has approached the Gujarat High Court challenging the state government’s decision to take over the institution’s administration.
A particularly moving moment came when the young participants led the dignitaries to the stage, a gesture that resonated with everyone present.
Fresh incidents of harassment and arrests linked to allegations of religious conversion were reported across northern India on recent Sundays, with police detaining at least a dozen Christians in separate cases, church representatives said.
