SC to hear PIL challenging amended UP religious conversion law

New Delhi

On Friday, the Supreme Court agreed to hear a petition challenging the constitutional validity of the 2024 amended Uttar Pradesh law on unlawful religious conversion. A bench consisting of Chief Justice Sanjiv Khanna, Justice Sanjay Kumar, and Justice K.V. Viswanathan noted the arguments presented by senior lawyer S. Muralidhar. He argued that some provisions of the Uttar Pradesh Prohibition of Unlawful Conversion of Religion Act were vague and overly broad, potentially infringing on free speech and the right to propagate religion.

However, the Chief Justice did not issue an immediate notice and stated that the case would be heard along with other pending petitions on May 13. The petition, filed by Roop Rekha Verma from Lucknow and others, claims the law violates several constitutional rights, including Articles 14 (equality), 19 (freedom of speech), 21 (right to life), and 25 (freedom of religion). The petition argues that key sections of the Act are ambiguous, making it difficult to determine what constitutes an offense and allowing for arbitrary enforcement.

It also criticizes the law's broad provisions, which could lead to wrongful prosecution of innocent individuals. The plea emphasizes that the law expands the number of individuals who can file complaints without proper safeguards, presumes malintent behind religious conversions, and imposes excessive punishments.

The petition further challenges the gender-based assumptions in Section 5 of the law, which presumes all women are vulnerable to illegal conversions, thus violating constitutional principles of fairness and autonomy. The case remains under consideration by the Supreme Court, alongside other similar petitions challenging state laws on religious conversions.