India Rejects USCIRF 2024 Report: Sovereignty and the Politics of Religious Freedom

The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) has officially rejected the 2024 Annual Report of the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF). The report recommended that the US State Department designate India as a 'Country of Particular Concern' (CPC) for alleged systematic and egregious violations of religious freedom. India has termed the USCIRF a 'biased entity with a political agenda' and asserted that the report continues to misrepresent facts while attempting to interfere in India's domestic matters. The USCIRF is a bipartisan, independent federal government commission in the US that monitors the universal right to freedom of religion or belief abroad. However, its recommendations are not binding on the US State Department. For several years, the USCIRF has been critical of India’s domestic policies, including the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), anti-conversion laws, and the situation in Manipur. India’s rejection is rooted in the principle of sovereign equality and non-interference. The MEA highlighted that the USCIRF lacks a nuanced understanding of India’s pluralistic social fabric and its robust constitutional protections under Articles 25-28.