SC adjourns for two weeks plea challenging prohibiting religious conversion for marriages

Supreme Court on Wednesday said that it is adjourning for two weeks, the batch of petitions challenging the Ordinance passed by Uttar Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and Uttarakhand prohibiting religious conversion for marriages.

A three-judge bench of the Apex Court, headed by Chief Justice of India (CJI) Sharad Arvind Bobde and also comprising Justices AS Bopanna and V Ramasubraman adjourned the matter for two weeks.

"We are adjourning the matter for two weeks," the CJI led bench of the Apex Court said. The petitioners, Vishal Thakre and others submitted before the Apex Court that the laws are allegedly being misused to harass those individuals indulging in interfaith marriages.

Senior lawyer, Chander Uday Singh, appearing for the Citizen for Justice and Peace (CJP), told the Apex Court that the respondents had circulated a letter for adjournment.

Singh said that we are seeking to amend our plea to include that we are now will also challenge to Himachal and Madhya Pradesh laws also, as they have also brought in conversion prohibition laws. The Apex Court also today impleaded Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind in the case.

When the CJI asked Ejaz Maqbool, senior lawyer appearing for Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind, what is your locus in the case?, Maqbool replied that a large number of Muslims are being harassed across the country. "We only want to assist the Court only," Maqbool told the Apex Court.

The CJI allowed his prayer to assist the court in the matter.

Jamiat had asked the top court to hear it before deciding the batch of PILs challenging the "Love Jihad" law enacted by the state of Uttar Pradesh.

( With inputs from ANI )