Indian top court halts exhumation of tribal Christians in Chhattisgarh
Supreme Court blocks removal of tribal Christians’ bodies in central India amid rising tensions over burial rights and religious identity
NEW DELHI, India (MNTV) — India’s Supreme Court has ordered an immediate halt to the alleged exhumation of Christian members of Indigenous tribal communities in the central Indian state of Chhattisgarh, stepping into a dispute rooted in growing religious tensions in the region.
A three-judge bench led by Justice Vikram Nath, along with Justices Sandeep Mehta and N.V. Anjaria, issued an interim order directing authorities to ensure that no further buried bodies are removed while the court examines the case. The state government has been given four weeks to respond.
The petition before the court alleges that Christian families from Indigenous tribal communities — known locally as Adivasis — were prevented from burying relatives in their ancestral villages. In some instances, bodies were allegedly dug up and reburied at distant locations.
Chhattisgarh, a forested and mineral-rich state in central India, has a large tribal population. Over decades, some tribal communities converted to Christianity, often through missionary activity dating back to the colonial era.
In recent years, however, parts of central India have seen increased friction between Christian tribal minorities and Hindu nationalist groups that oppose religious conversions.
According to the petitioners, local residents aligned with majority religious groups objected to Christian burial practices in village lands traditionally used by tribal families.
Senior advocate Colin Gonsalves, representing the petitioners, told the court that in one case a woman’s body was exhumed without her family’s knowledge, while in another instance a deceased man’s remains were allegedly relocated more than 30 miles away.
The petition, filed by the Chhattisgarh Association for Justice and Equality, argues that such actions violate constitutional guarantees of equality before the law, personal liberty, and freedom of religion. It contends that denying Christian tribal families the right to bury their dead in their native villages amounts to discrimination based on faith.
The filing also alleges that local police and administrative authorities failed to protect families and, in some cases, allowed community pressure to dictate burial decisions.
The petitioners say tensions intensified following a January 2025 Supreme Court ruling involving the burial of a Christian priest in Chhattisgarh, which produced a split verdict and has since been interpreted differently at the local level.
The dispute reflects broader debates in parts of India over religious conversion, tribal identity, and access to common village land.
Hindu nationalist organizations in several central Indian states have campaigned against Christian missionary activity, arguing that conversions among Indigenous communities alter traditional social structures. Christian groups, meanwhile, say their constitutional rights are being curtailed.
The Supreme Court’s interim order bars any further exhumations until the matter is fully heard. The next hearing is scheduled in four weeks.
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