A pastor in Nepal has been acquitted of charges of illegal religious conversion of schoolchildren in a case lasting 15 months.
The Kailali District Court in the western city of Dhangadhi dismissed all charges because of a lack of evidence against Pastor Janmajaya Bhattarai on 24 March, concluding a legal battle dating back to December 2024.
Pastor Bhattarai’s arrest followed days after he and his team distributed 30 bags and clothing items to underprivileged students. The pastor had given out gifts as a Christmas tradition for several years at the request of local schools, including Shree Bal Kalyan Secondary School and Shaheed Smriti Madhyamik Vidhyalaya.
Pastor Janmajaya Bhattarai [Image credit: Kathmandu Media Publications]
When Bhattarai broadcast the event on his Facebook page, religious extremists lodged a protest. Several Hindu members of the school management committee complained that the pastor was evangelising students in an attempt to convert them, contrary to the agreed terms of the gift distribution event.
Bhattarai was arrested on 24 December 2024 and released three weeks later on bail of 250,000 rupees (£1,260; $1,512; €1,386).
“I feel relieved that the court dismissed the charges,” Bhattarai commented. “The judgement could set a precedent for future cases involving minorities against harassment and hostility for practising and propagating one’s religion.”
Officially a secular state since 2008, Nepal’s 2015 constitution guarantees freedom of religion but outlaws conversion “to another religion”. A law introduced in 2018 made it an offence, punishable with five years in jail, to attempt to convert a follower of a religion “being practised since ancient times”. This is interpreted as a religion passed down through at least three generations, a ruling that provides protection for Hindus and Buddhists but withholds it for most Nepali Christians, who are either first-generation or second-generation believers.
How you can pray
Give thanks that these charges against Pastor Bhattarai were dismissed. Pray that he and other Christian leaders in Nepal will know God’s wisdom and protection in serving Him faithfully. Pray that justice will prevail in any further cases where Christians face unfounded accusations of forced conversions. Pray that a growing understanding will emerge in Nepali society that conversion is a matter of the heart, not of coercion.
