While hearing a challenge to amendments in Uttar Pradesh’s anti-conversion law on July 16, India’s Supreme Court asked the state’s government to pause the implementation of the draconian provisions of the said law until the case is fully heard.
The writ petition and the application challenging the amendments to the Uttar Pradesh Prohibition of Unlawful Conversion of Religion Act, 2021, were filed by the legal team of ADF India (Alliance Defending Freedom) allied lawyers.
The provisions of the anti-conversion law were included through an amendment passed by Uttar Pradesh’s government during the legislative assembly in July 2024.
The state’s anti-conversion law, originally enacted in 2021, has often been misused, especially against Christians by criminalizing acts of prayer, worship, and faith-based gatherings. The 2024 amendment has made the law even more stringent, hence the need for this fresh petition.
A bench of Justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta of the Apex Court, on July 16, heard the matter and issued notice to the State of Uttar Pradesh to stay the amendments.
This is a significant development for the protection of Christians in Uttar Pradesh who are being dragged to police stations and from there to courts and jails, almost weekly.
Hindu nationalist groups regularly police neighborhoods, scouting for worshipping Christians, inside their own house or in a church building. They often bring police officers to help disrupt the worship and prayer services and force the police to arrest the pastors and believers on false charges.
Since the newly included amendments to Uttar Pradesh’s anti-conversion law allow anyone to file a case of forced religious conversion against Christians, disruptions and attacks like these are occurring more frequently.
The amendment states that those accused of unlawful religious conversion could face up to life in prison, similar to those convicted of murder.
In the new provision, the law states that “any person who, with intent to cause religious conversion, puts any person in fear of his life or property, assaults or uses force, promises or instigates marriage, conspires or induces any minor, woman or person to traffic or otherwise sells them or abets, attempts or conspires in this behalf, shall be punished with rigorous imprisonment of not less than 20 years, which can extend to life imprisonment.”
Another amendment states that any random third person is allowed to complain to the police, accusing anyone of religious conversion activities.
The ADF petition challenges every amendment to the anti-conversion law. With the Court’s directive, many hope that Christians in Uttar Pradesh might get some reprieve.
Twelve of India’s 28 states, including Uttar Pradesh — most of which are ruled by the pro-Hindu Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) — have enacted anti-conversion laws that Christians claim are being weaponized to target them.
