New Delhi: A Delhi court has asked the principal of St. Stephen College of the Delhi University to respond by February 25 for allegedly forcing an official to convert to Christianity.
The court issued notice to the principal of the college Valson Thampu and college employee Deepak Mukarji on a complaint filed by a suspended administrative official of the college.

Subha Kumar Dash, the suspended administrative official had filed a complaint against Mr Thampu in which he sought Rs 5 lakh as damages from him and another official of the college for allegedly tarnishing his image. In his complaint, Mr Dash also alleged that Mr Thampu was forcing him to convert to Christianity.

Additional district judge Kamini Lau asked Thampu and Mukarji to respond by February 25 to the allegations levelled by Dash, who had been working as an administrative officer there.

Dash alleged that Thampu had pressurised him to convert from Hinduism to Christianity in January 2014, and from October 1 onwards, serious differences started between them, when he did not oblige the principal on conversion.

He claimed that the enraged principal had alleged that Dash was an alcoholic and insane, which was intended to tarnish his image.

On November 2, 2014, he had sent two text messages to the principal protesting the alleged insult meted out to him and his family members, which caused him depression.
Regarding Mukarji, the plaint said he “cast aspersions on the character of Mr Dash, referring to his often drunken state”.

The complaint said that Dash was suspended last year when he came back from medical leave.