A/HRC/21/10 National Human Rights Commission strived to strengthen human rights practices and served as the moral compass of the nation. 30. Freedom of religion was guaranteed under article 25 of the Constitution. The problem arose when the act of propagating one’s religion transgressed the limits and stopped being voluntary, and instead became coercive or induced. Some states had taken exception to this. These issues could be challenged and the person had every right to approach the courts. 31. The delegation thanked the “troika” countries of Kuwait, Mexico and Mauritius for facilitating the process. It reiterated India’s pledge of continued engagement with the United Nations and the Council and that over the years has made several contributions to human rights-related bodies in the United Nations. 32. The delegation stated that India was a huge country and by reason of its area and diversity alone there were bound to be problems. India had the ability to self-correct and redress mechanisms were available. The delegation quoted Mahatma Gandhi who said, “You must not lose faith in humanity. Humanity is an ocean. If a few drops of the ocean were dirty, the ocean does not become dirty”, and added that India was indeed a vast ocean. It expressed confidence that India would be able to deliver to every person their full rights and entitlements. B. Interactive dialogue and responses by the State under review 33. During the interactive dialogue, 80 delegations made statements. Many delegations thanked India for the presentation of its comprehensive national report and expressed appreciation for its engagement with the UPR. Recommendations made during the dialogue are to be found in section II of this report. 34. Slovenia regretted that India had yet to amend the Special Marriage Act to provide for equal rights to property accumulated during marriage, in line with the recommendation made by the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW). It made recommendations. 35. South Africa commended India for progress achieved in human rights, particularly in ensuring that people in rural areas had access to basic services. It inquired about the strategies and measures to deal with the threat of terrorism. South Africa made recommendations. 36. Spain urged India to continue on the path of democratizing its institutions. It made recommendations. 37. Sri Lanka noted India’s achievements in the protection of the rights of women, children, minorities and disadvantaged persons. It praised India for its 11th Five-Year Plan and its rights-based approach to food security. Sri Lanka made a recommendation. 38. Sudan congratulated India for its education law of 2009. It also welcomed the constitutional amendment for women, which has set aside for them one third of the seats in Parliament. 39. Sweden stated that India has not ratified the Convention against Torture (CAT) and International Labour Organization (ILO) conventions No. 138 and 182. It regretted India’s measures to limit freedom of expression. Sweden remained concerned by the high rate of maternal mortality in spite of its decline over the past years. Sweden made recommendations. 6