Supreme Court will review Love Jihad laws, refuses to stay

New Delhi : The Supreme Court refused to stay the controversial provisions of the ‘Anti Love Jihad’ laws applicable in Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand to prevent conversion in the name of inter-religious marriage. However, the court has agreed to review the controversial law. The Supreme Court will now examine the constitutionality of these laws, which is why the court has issued a notice to the state governments seeking an answer in this regard.

Notice to the governments of Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand issued during the hearing of the petitions of the non-governmental organization Citizens for Justice and Peace, headed by Chief Justice Sharad Arvind Bobde, Justice V Ramasubramanian and Justice AS Bopanna and Vishal Thackeray and other social activist Teesta Setalvad.

Senior advocate Chander Udai Singh, appearing for Sitalwad, argued that the provisions of prior permission are repressive. He said that on the basis of the ordinance of Uttar Pradesh, the police arrested innocent people in the case of alleged love jihad. At the beginning of the hearing, Justice Bobde asked the petitioners to go to the concerned High Court, but after being told by Singh and lawyer Pradeep Kumar Yadav that this law has been implemented in two states and it is causing widespread problems in the society. Lawyers argued that other states like Madhya Pradesh and Haryana are also considering enacting similar laws. The court then issued notices to both the state governments, agreeing to hear the case.