Jamiat Ulama-I-Hind moves SC against UP law on religious conversion

New Delhi [India], January 6 : Islamic organisation Jamiat Ulama-I-Hind has approached the Supreme Court on Wednesday challenging the Constitutional validity of the Uttar Pradesh Unlawful Religious Conversion Ordinance, 2020.
The organisation filed an intervention application in the already pending pleas challenging the Ordinance passed by the Uttar Pradesh government and the Uttarakhand Freedom of Religion Act, 2018.
The application said Muslim youth is being "targeted and demonised" using the Uttar Pradesh ordinance on inter-faith marriages and religious conversion.
The ordinance is an attempt to regulate personal decisions of each human being by encroaching upon an individual's choice to convert to a religion of his/her choice, it added.
"The Applicant Organization wishes to raise the issue of fundamental rights of the Muslim youth, who are being targeted and demonized by using the impugned Ordinance, which in itself is unconstitutional being violative of Articles 14, 21 and 25," the application further said.
It also contended that scrutiny by the state of such a personal decision is a grave assault on personal liberty of an individual and is violative of Article 21.
The application further stated that the ordinance gives state sanction and administrative support to the societal hostilities which persons intending to have inter-faith marriages will face.
It added that the law could also be used by family members against couples who are not happy with their children marrying some person from another faith.
The apex court today while refusing to stay the ordinance sought response from the Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand governments on pleas challenging laws against religious conversion for marriage.