New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Monday sought a response from the Rajasthan government on a petition challenging the constitutional validity of the Rajasthan Prohibition of Unlawful Conversion of Religion Act, 2025.
A bench of Justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta issued notice to the state and other respondents after hearing senior advocate Rajeev Dhavan, who appeared for the petitioner, the Jaipur Catholic Welfare Society.
Dhavan told the court that the plea raises concerns about legislative competence and constitutional excess, arguing that the state law violates fundamental rights. The bench noted that several petitions raising similar issues are already pending before the Supreme Court.
When Dhavan pointed out that the present plea raises “an entirely different question,” Justice Nath said, “We will issue notice and call the other side, and then we will hear you.”
The matter has been posted for hearing after four weeks, and the court has tagged it with other pending petitions on similar anti-conversion laws.
Background
- On November 3, the Supreme Court agreed to hear two earlier pleas challenging the 2025 anti-conversion law and sought the state’s response within four weeks.
- In September, another bench issued notices to multiple states on petitions seeking a stay on their anti-conversion laws, stating that it would consider the stay request only after replies were filed.
- The pending batch includes challenges to anti-conversion laws enacted by Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Haryana, Jharkhand, and Karnataka.