No Permission for Preaching: Madras HC sends tough message to OCI cardholders
Daniel, whose parents were of Indian origin, was registered as an OCI cardholder in February 2015. He contended that his visits to India were primarily to meet his aged mother and other relatives and denied engaging in missionary activities or promoting religious conversions.
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Amid reports of Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) cardholders engaging in unauthorized religious activities, the Madras High Court delivered a significant ruling reiterating that OCI status holders must obtain prior special permission before undertaking missionary preaching in India.
Justice D. Bharatha Chakravarthy dismissed Daniel’s petition challenging the cancellation of his OCI registration, which had been ordered by the Union government on 4 September 2026 under Sections 7D(da) and 7D(e) of the Citizenship Act, 1955.
The Madras High Court has said that any preaching or any other activity linked to dissemination of religious information by an Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) will need 'special permission'. The Madras High Court held that Daniel's claim that he never engaged in missionary… pic.twitter.com/OOkepteqzY
— Girish Bharadwaj (@Girishbdwj) October 29, 2026
The Court held that Daniel had addressed religious congregations and gatherings in Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh without obtaining the required permission. It found that the material produced by the Union government, including posters, online material and advertisements for religious meetings, provided substantial evidence of his missionary activities.
Court: Missionary Preaching Requires Prior Permission
Daniel, whose parents were of Indian origin, was registered as an OCI cardholder in February 2015. He contended that his visits to India were primarily to meet his aged mother and other relatives and denied engaging in missionary activities or promoting religious conversions.
The Union government issued a show-cause notice in September 2025, alleging that he had misused his OCI privileges by delivering religious lectures, conducting prayers and undertaking missionary activities without special permission.
The authorities relied on material concerning religious meetings Daniel had allegedly addressed between 2017 and 2019, including gatherings in Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh.
Daniel challenged the cancellation, arguing that the authorities had not adequately identified the specific incidents and evidence against him. He also contended that material subsequently produced before the Court had not been supplied to him, denying him an effective opportunity to respond.
Why The Ruling Matters
The judgment draws a distinction between the right to practise or propagate religion and the conditions governing the activities an OCI cardholder may undertake while in India.
The Court’s ruling makes clear that the absence of an allegation of conversion does not, by itself, exempt missionary preaching from the requirement of prior permission.