The Supreme Court on Monday sought a response from the Rajasthan government and others on a petition challenging the validity of the Rajasthan Prohibition of Unlawful Conversion of Religion Act, 2025. A bench comprising Justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta issued notice to the state and others, requesting their replies on the plea filed by the Jaipur Catholic Welfare Society.
Senior advocate Rajeev Dhavan, appearing for the petitioner. He said: "We have raised issues of legislative competence as well as excessiveness in terms of constitutional limitations."
The bench initially observed that petitions raising similar issues were already pending before the top court. However, Dhavan maintained, "We have raised an entirely different question".
Justice Nath confirmed the court's action, stating, "We will issue notice and call the other side and then we will hear you." The bench subsequently issued notice on the plea and listed the matter for hearing after four weeks. It also tagged the plea with the existing pending petitions raising similar issues.
This challenge follows the Supreme Court agreeing on November 3 to hear two separate petitions challenging the validity of several provisions of the law against illegal religious conversions that recently came into force in Rajasthan. At that time, it issued notice to the Rajasthan government, seeking its response within four weeks on the pleas against the 2025 Act, which was passed by the state Assembly in September.
Also in September, another bench of the apex court sought the stance of several states on separate pleas seeking a stay on their respective anti-conversion laws. The top court had then made it clear that it would consider the prayer for staying the operation of such laws once the replies were filed. That bench was dealing with a batch of petitions challenging the constitutional validity of anti-conversion laws enacted by several states, including Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Haryana, Jharkhand, and Karnataka.
Also read: SC issues contempt notice to Telangana speaker
Follow us
