Indian Court throws out ‘magic healing’ charge against pastor
Pranjal Bhuyan was the first person charged under a law that was passed last year in Assam
Updated: May 15, 2025 10:11 AM GMT
A court in the northeastern Indian state of Assam has dismissed all charges leveled against a Christian pastor who became the first person to be arrested under a new law targeting “magic healing practices.”
On May 13, the Golaghat District and Sessions Court in Assam ruled that the charges against pastor Pranjal Bhuyan were “entirely unfounded” and dismissed the case.
The pastor from Golaghat Baptist Church was arrested on Nov. 23 last year for allegedly violating the recently enacted Assam Magical Healing (Prevention of Evil Practices) Act, 2024.
He became the first person charged under the law after it was passed last year.
The charges came after a man filed a case against him, accusing him of illegally converting tribal people to Christianity.
The law, among other things, criminalizes so-called evil practices such as traditional healing methods and religious conversions with one to three-year jail terms and fines. It was enacted on March 14 last year.
The state government, led by the pro-Hindu Bhartiya Janta Party (BJP), claims the law seeks to safeguard citizens from exploitative practices performed under the guise of supernatural or religious healing.
The state’s chief minister, Himanta Biswa Sarma, said during the passage of the bill that his government wanted to curb evangelism in the state with “robust legislation.”
Sarma strongly criticized the practice of magical healing, saying it was “a dicey subject used to convert tribal people.”
“We are going to pilot this bill because we believe the religious status quo is very important for a proper balance,” he added.
Like Assam, at least ten other states, mostly ruled by the BJP, have enacted anti-conversion laws.
Christians and rights activists allege the Assam anti-conversion law is a tool to target and abuse minority faiths, including Christians, by hardline Hindus.
Allen Brooks, the spokesperson of the ecumenical group, the Assam Christian Forum (ACF), thanked the court for delivering justice.
“We thank the judiciary for upholding constitutional rights, it is a great relief for Pastor Bhuyan and his family who have suffered a lot,” Brooks told UCA News on May 14.
Christians welcome the court ruling, and they suspect the pastor’s arrest was the work of some people connected to “people in power,” he said.
“The enforcement of the Assam Magical Healing Act must be fair and non-discriminatory,” he added.
In a statement on May 13, the ACF warned that Bhuyan’s case highlighted how the new law is open to misuse that can threaten communal harmony.
It urged the government to establish safeguards to prevent the wrongful targeting of individuals based on their faith.
Pastor Bhuyan repeatedly denied the allegation of conversion. He told journalists that there was nothing wrong or illegal if “people come to me and ask for prayer, and then they feel better.”
Christians make up just 3.74 percent of Assam’s 31 million people.
