Nepali pastor to be jailed for praying after Supreme Court denies appeal

January 29, 2024

The Christian Post reports that a Nepali pastor faces a one year prison sentence after inviting a man to his house for prayer. Pastor Keshab Raj Acharya was charged with “outraging religious feelings” and “proselytising” under Nepal’s criminal code which prohibits religious conversions and propagation.

Keshab was originally convicted in Nov 2021 and sentenced to two years in prison and fined 20,000 Nepali rupees (roughly $150) for his alleged offenses. That sentence was later reduced to one year by the Jumla High Court.

The pastor is now seeking to have his prison sentence converted into a fine.

Keshab’s case has raised concerns about religious freedom and cast doubts on the integrity of the Dolpa District Attorney’s office which filed the charges against him. According to The Christian Post, the pastor’s conviction came as a shock since there were no witnesses to substantiate the allegations of proselytizing.

The International Religious Roundtable and the U.S. Dept. of State’s 2020 report on international religious freedom have both called attention to the pastor’s case, calling his arrest “arbitrary” and “discriminatory.”

The Christian community in Nepal has experienced increasing persecution since 2018 with the criminalization of conversions facing criticism for violating religious freedoms.

Photo: top Pastor Keshab Raj Acharya & family Credit: Morning Star