On Friday, the Supreme Court of India stayed the criminal proceedings against Reverend Father Vineet Vincent Pereira, who claimed that Christianity is the only true religion. The bench, comprising Justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta, issued a notice to the Uttar Pradesh government in response to a plea challenging a March 18 order from the Allahabad High Court. The High Court had dismissed Pereira's plea, asserting that claiming a single religion as the only true faith is inappropriate in a secular nation like India and could disparage other beliefs, thus attracting provisions under Section 295A of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). This section addresses deliberate acts intended to outrage religious feelings. The Uttar Pradesh police had filed an FIR against Pereira after he allegedly held prayer meetings making such claims, although the investigation found no evidence of illegal religious conversion. Pereira's counsel argued that he was falsely implicated and that the charges were not substantiated. The Supreme Court's stay halts further legal action pending the government's response.