The Supreme Court on Wednesday indicated that it will hear in May the petitions challenging anti-religious conversion laws across India. .These laws aim to tackle forced or unlawful religious conversions. However, critics allege that these laws are being misused to target specific religious communities and that they affect the freedom of people to choose their religion. .The Bench of Chief Justice of India (CJI) Sanjiv Khanna and Justice PV Sanjay Kumar opined that the matter needs to be heard in some detail, when the matter was briefly taken up today. "We need to hear this. List it in the week commencing May 13, 2025," CJI Khanna said. Notably, CJI Khanna is slated to retire from office on May 13. .Meanwhile, advocate Ashwini Upadhyay today defended the anti-conversion laws under challenge, alleging that thousands of Hindus were being unlawfully converted to other religions every day. Upadhyay has filed a public interest litigation (PIL) petition against unlawful religious conversions. "My Lord, conversion is waging war. Ten thousand Hindus are converted everyday," Upadhyay said.The Court, however, was not inclined to hear his submissions today, without first hearing other petitioners."Why are you arguing? Have we heard the other side. We have to hear them first then," the Bench said..The laws under challenge in various petitions before the Supreme Court include the Himachal Pradesh Freedom of Religion Act, 2019, the Madhya Pradesh Freedom of Religion Ordinance, 2020, the Uttar Pradesh Prohibition of Unlawful Conversion of Religion Ordinance, 2020 and a similar law in Uttarakhand.In 2021, the Court also allowed the Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind to intervene in the matter, after it alleged that a large number of Muslims were being harassed across the country by invoking such anti-conversion laws..[Read Live Coverage]
The Supreme Court on Wednesday indicated that it will hear in May the petitions challenging anti-religious conversion laws across India. .These laws aim to tackle forced or unlawful religious conversions. However, critics allege that these laws are being misused to target specific religious communities and that they affect the freedom of people to choose their religion. .The Bench of Chief Justice of India (CJI) Sanjiv Khanna and Justice PV Sanjay Kumar opined that the matter needs to be heard in some detail, when the matter was briefly taken up today. "We need to hear this. List it in the week commencing May 13, 2025," CJI Khanna said. Notably, CJI Khanna is slated to retire from office on May 13. .Meanwhile, advocate Ashwini Upadhyay today defended the anti-conversion laws under challenge, alleging that thousands of Hindus were being unlawfully converted to other religions every day. Upadhyay has filed a public interest litigation (PIL) petition against unlawful religious conversions. "My Lord, conversion is waging war. Ten thousand Hindus are converted everyday," Upadhyay said.The Court, however, was not inclined to hear his submissions today, without first hearing other petitioners."Why are you arguing? Have we heard the other side. We have to hear them first then," the Bench said..The laws under challenge in various petitions before the Supreme Court include the Himachal Pradesh Freedom of Religion Act, 2019, the Madhya Pradesh Freedom of Religion Ordinance, 2020, the Uttar Pradesh Prohibition of Unlawful Conversion of Religion Ordinance, 2020 and a similar law in Uttarakhand.In 2021, the Court also allowed the Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind to intervene in the matter, after it alleged that a large number of Muslims were being harassed across the country by invoking such anti-conversion laws..[Read Live Coverage]
