Several public interest petitions and writ petitions — led by civil-rights groups and individual petitioners — seek declarations that various state “Freedom of Religion” / anti-conversion statutes (and recent amendments) are unconstitutional and violative of fundamental rights in the Constitution (Articles 14, 21, 25, etc.). The Supreme Court has consolidated multiple petitions transferred from High Courts and has issued notices to states, asking for replies on stay applications and on the merits.

The debates surrounding the Anti-Conversion Law have raised significant concerns regarding personal liberties and the potential for misuse.

These petitions challenge the constitutional validity of religious conversion laws enacted by Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Haryana, Jharkhand, and Karnataka.

Arguments

Broadly, Petitioners argue that the challenged provisions:

• Unlawfully restrict the fundamental right to propagate and change religion (Articles 25, 26) and discriminate against religious minorities (Article 14).
• Violate personal liberty and privacy (Article 21) — especially where laws criminalise consensual inter-faith marriages or permit third-party complaints that enable harassment of couples and faith-based workers.
• Are vague, overbroad or ultra vires state power when they criminalise “conversion by misrepresentation/allurement/force” without clear standards and with severe penal consequences, and many provisions are open to misuse. Petitioners seek declarations of invalidity and interim stays on operation.

Petitions

Citizens for Justice and Peace (CJP) — is the lead public interest petitioner challenging the constitutional validity of multiple state laws and recent amendments. Other petitions are a mix of writs and PILs transferred from various High Courts, including those filed by Jamia Ulama-e-Hind Gujarat, Samuel Daniel, Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind, Peoples Union for Civil Liberties and National Federation of Indian Women.

Supreme Court has detagged from this batch, a separate PIL filed by advocate Ashwini Upadhyay seeking a pan-India prohibition on “deceitful” conversions.

Hearings so far

In 2020, CJP filed a PIL before the Supreme Court challenging the constitutional validity of the Uttar Pradesh Prohibition of Unlawful Conversion of Religion Ordinance, 2020 (amended Act) and the Uttarakhand Freedom of Religion Act, 2018. CJP argued that the UP law “places a burden on individuals to justify their personal decisions to the State authorities, throttling their Right to Life and Personal Liberty, Dignity, Freedom of Conscience and Choice.” Himachal Pradesh (2019) and Madhya Pradesh (2020) enacted anti-conversion laws with provisions similar to those of Uttarakhand and Uttar Pradesh. CJP challenge these as well through applications. Supreme Court allowed these applications. Court also allowed intervention by Jamait Ulama-i-Hind.

On 16 January 2023, a bench comprising Chief Justice D.Y. Chandrachud with Justices P.S. Narasimha and J.B. Pardiwala heard these matters. The Court directed that the transfer petition that may be filed seeking the transfer of High Court matters to the Supreme Court shall be listed before it on the next date. Subsequently, several additional matters were added to this batch.

The Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh governments have also challenged the interim orders passed by their respective High Courts staying certain provisions of the Gujarat Freedom of Religion Act, 2003, and the Madhya Pradesh Freedom of Religion Act, 2021.

The matter was last heard on September 16, 2025, by a bench comprising Chief Justice B.R. Gavai and Justice K. Vinod Chandran.

Next Date: November 11, 2025