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.
In an order issued on Dec. 18, Justice Jai Kumar Pillai of the Indore bench of the Madhya Pradesh High Court stated that Christmas carol singing conducted within private homes or their premises falls under personal religious practice and does not require official approval.
The court clarified that prior permission from authorities is only required when religious programmes are organised in public places.
Church leaders welcomed the ruling, describing it as a reaffirmation of constitutional protections for religious freedom.
“We are relieved and grateful to the high court for upholding our right to sing carols in our homes,” said Father Rockey Shah, public relations officer of the Catholic Diocese of Jhabua. “The court clearly rejected the objections raised by government officials.”
In Jhabua district, where many Catholics belong to Indigenous communities, house-to-house carol singing is a long-standing Christmas tradition. Groups typically sing inside Catholic homes or within their courtyards.
As a precaution, parishes usually inform nearby police stations in advance of such programmes. This year, however, police in several areas allegedly refused to accept these notices and directed parishes to seek approval from sub-divisional authorities, despite no legal requirement for doing so.
According to Church officials, police later submitted a report alleging that carol singing was being used to facilitate religious conversion, an accusation the diocese described as baseless. Authorities also cited security concerns, claiming that large gatherings were planned across villages.
The court order followed a petition filed by the Jhabua diocese on Dec. 15, seeking judicial protection for Christians’ right to practise their faith freely.
A Church official, who asked not to be named, said the objections reflected increasing pressure from right-wing Hindu groups opposed to Christian religious activities.
“This was an important test case,” the official said. “Without court intervention, similar restrictions could have spread to other districts.”
Christians account for about four percent of Jhabua’s population of roughly one million people, in a state where the community represents less than one percent overall.
Madhya Pradesh is among several states with strict anti-conversion laws that criminalise religious conversion through coercion, inducement or fraud, with penalties including imprisonment and fines.
Catholic leaders continue to reject allegations of illegal conversion and say the community is being unfairly targeted despite its long-standing contributions to education, healthcare and social welfare.
Adapted from UCA News.
