The Nautanwa police recently released a pastor in Maharajganj district, Uttar Pradesh, on bail after arresting him last month.
In an interview with Christian Today, his wife and son alleged, “He is falsely framed.”
Pastor Dashrath Gupta, from Barwa Khurd village under the Nautanwa administrative division, was taken into custody by the Nautanwa police based on a complaint filed by a female church member who had been attending regular services for the past year.
Gupta, 42, was apprehended on Nov. 25 on charges of allegedly enticing the church member to convert, under Sections 3 and 5 of the Uttar Pradesh Freedom of Religion Act.
Section 3 of the Act prohibits the conversion of any person from one religion to another through misrepresentation, force, undue influence, coercion, allurement or fraudulent means.
Section 5 stipulates that contravening Section 3 can result in imprisonment for a term not less than one year but may extend to five years, along with a fine not less than 5,000 rupees.
Pastor Gupta, granted bail on Dec. 5, was released from jail on Dec. 12.
This story was originally published in christianpost.com. Read the full story here .