It is being claimed on social media, especially Facebook, that retired Supreme Court judge and former Chairman of the Press Council of India, Justice Markandey Katju, has converted to Islam during the month of Ramzan.
A post on Facebook claims, ‘Former Indian Supreme Court judge Justice Markandey Katju has publicly announced his conversion to Islam during an exclusive live interview on Pakistan’s ’24 Digital’ channel. In this heart-warming conversation with journalist Sajjad Peerzada, he recited the ‘Shahada’ (testimony of faith). He expressed his deep reverence for Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), recounting his journey to embracing this religion.’
Fact Check:
The DFRAC team investigated and found that this claim was false and that Markandey Katju had not converted to Islam. During the investigation, we found a tweet from Markandey Katju, in which he stated, ‘Some Pakistani media have falsely reported that I have converted to Islam. Therefore, I want to clarify this. I am a staunch atheist, but I respect all religions.’
In another post, Markandey Katju said, “This is fake news. I have not converted to Islam. I am a staunch atheist.”
Meanwhile, our team contacted Markandey Katju for more information on this matter. He told us that the news of his conversion to Islam is completely false. He has not converted to Islam. He also clarified that he has always respected all religions.
Justice Katju has been observing a one-day fast during the month of Ramadan for several years. In an article, he wrote, ‘For the past 25-30 years, I have been observing a one-day fast during the holy month of Ramadan. Today, March 13, 2026, I am doing the same. I am an atheist and technically a Hindu, so why do I do this? Is this hypocrisy, a pretense, a play, a stunt, or a trick? It’s not. It’s a deeply symbolic act aimed at uniting the Indian public.’
Conclusion:
DFRAC’s fact check clearly shows that the claim about Markandey Katju converting to Islam is fake on social media. Katju, speaking to DFRAC, has dismissed these reports as fake. Therefore, the user’s claims are false.
