The United Christian Forum (UCF) on Thursday welcomed an interim order by the Supreme Court of India halting alleged exhumations of Christian burial sites in the central state of Chhattisgarh, calling it a “beacon of hope” for minority communities.
A bench of Justices Vikram Nath, Sandeep Mehta and N.V. Anjaria on Wednesday directed that “in the meantime, no further exhumation of buried bodies shall be permitted,” while issuing notice to the Chhattisgarh government.
The order came on a public interest petition filed by the Chhattisgarh Association for Justice and Equality, which alleged that Christian families, particularly in tribal areas, were being forced to exhume deceased relatives from village burial grounds and relocate them without consent.
Senior advocate Colin Gonsalves, appearing for the petitioners, told the court that families were facing pressure to abandon Christian funeral rites and were being denied access to traditionally shared village burial grounds.
The petition said such exhumations and reburials, sometimes conducted dozens of kilometres away, violated constitutional guarantees of equality and the right to life under Articles 14 and 21.
One incident cited in the plea involved a tribal Christian man in Bastar district whose remains were allegedly exhumed and cremated against the family’s wishes.
The case comes amid a series of reported disputes over Christian burial rights in Chhattisgarh and neighbouring states including Odisha and Jharkhand.
The UCF said it had recorded 23 burial-related incidents in 2025, most of them in Chhattisgarh, and described the trend as part of a broader pattern of intimidation and discrimination against tribal Christians.
“Burial rights are increasingly being challenged and politicised,” UCF President Michael Williams told reporters, adding that families grieving the loss of loved ones were being subjected to additional trauma.
“A person who is going through grief should not have to fight for the dignity of burial,” he said.
The group also raised concerns about campaigns seeking to delist Christian tribals from Scheduled Tribe status in some states, saying the Constitution does not link tribal identity to religion.
Human rights activist John Dayal said attacks against Christians had intensified in recent years. Citing UCF data, he said documented incidents rose nearly sixfold between 2014 and 2024, with 4,959 cases reported during the period. In 2025 alone, more than 700 incidents were recorded, he said.
The organisation said that of nearly 580 incidents documented in 2025, only 45 first information reports (FIRs) were registered against alleged perpetrators. It also said more than 230 FIRs were filed against Christians, often under anti-conversion laws.
Advocate Tehmina Arora said denying burial rights compounded the suffering of families at a time of loss. She cited cases in Chhattisgarh and Odisha where families were allegedly prevented from burying relatives in their native villages.
A.C. Michael, national coordinator of the UCF, rejected allegations of forced religious conversions often cited in connection with violence against Christians. He said that in earlier proceedings the Supreme Court had sought action-taken reports from authorities on claims of forced conversions, but none had established evidence of coercion.
The Chhattisgarh government did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The interim order will remain in force pending further hearings in the matter.