New Delhi:The Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind on Thursday filed a PIL in the Supreme Court challenging the constitutional validity of conversion laws in several states including Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, Uttarakhand, and Himachal Pradesh. The petition stated that these Acts are being used for the harassment interfaith couples and the violation of basic fundamental human rights as it invades the privacy of an individual by forcing him to reveal his religion.
Advocate Ejaz Maqbool, who filed the petition on behalf of Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind, stated that the Acts violate a person's privacy as it forces them to disclose their faith. He further alleged that the Acts leave a breeding ground for the harassment of the convert. It also questions the definition of the term 'allurement' mentioned in the Acts in question. It states that while the definition of allurement as per the Act has the phrase 'undue influence offers offers of divine displeasure', wherein ‘undue influence’ is wide and vague.
"Therefore, a religious preacher who simply states that following the teachings of his religion alone will enable a person to attain salvation would render himself liable for prosecution under the aforementioned Acts. Therefore, the Impugned Acts will stifle religious preaching and even practice of religion due to the vague and stringent nature of its provisions," the petition states.