While agreeing to hear petitions challenging Love Jihad laws, the three-judge bench headed by Chief Justice of India (CJI) SA Bobde of the Supreme Court refused to stay laws enacted by Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand to punish marriages based on religious conversion and issued notices to the two state governments and centre.
The petitions were filed by advocate Vishal Thakre and Teesta Setalvad’s NGO Citizens for Justice and Peace arguing that the laws were being misused to harass individuals indulging in interfaith marriages.
The first petition stated, “The Ordinance passed by the State of Uttar Pradesh and law passed by Uttarakhand are against the public policy and society at large and violates basic structure of the Constitution,”
Similar legislation is being contemplated Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka, Haryana and Assam, the petition pointed out.
Senior advocate CU Singh who appeared for Setalvad’s NGO sought a stay on the UP ordinance, saying
“Rampaging mobs are moving around lifting people from marriage ceremonies. This law requires prior reporting of marriages and the burden of proof is on the individual to show that he has not converted for marriage. These provisions are obnoxious particularly when the Supreme Court in 2018 held that the state cannot interfere with an individual’s right to marry as held in Shafin Jahan case.”
The bench, also comprising Justice’s AS Bopanna and V Ramasubramanian said, “Can a law be stayed if prosecution is oppressive or false. This is the problem when you come directly to the Supreme Court.”
The bench was of the view that the matter should go to the high court as the case is also pending before Uttrakhand and Allahabad HC.
Singh told the apex court that the matter concerning these laws had also been passed by Himachal Pradesh in 2019.
The Uttar Pradesh ordinance titled “Uttar Pradesh Prohibition of Unlawful Conversion of Religion Ordinance, 2020”, which was promulgated on November 24, outlaws religious conversions by marriage, coercion, deceit or enticement.
The law was promulgated about a month after Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath vowed to end “love jihad”, a term used by right-wing activists to describe marital relationships between Muslim men and Hindu women.
“This ordinance can become a potent tool in the hands of bad elements of the society to… falsely implicate anyone…there are probabilities to falsely implicate persons who are not involved in any such acts and it will be a grave injustice if this ordinance is passed,” said the petition.
The matter has been posted to be heard after four weeks.
