SC refuses to entertain petition against love jihad laws in UP

Supreme Court on Wednesday refused to entertain a petition against love jihad laws in Uttar Pradesh and rather asked the petitioner to approach the concerned High Court for relief.

The petition was filed by the NGO, People's Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL), challenging the Uttar Pradesh ordinance prohibiting religious conversion for marriage. "We are not entertaining your petition. You (NGO, PUCL), rather go to the high courts concerned," a three-judge bench of the Apex Court, headed by Chief Justice of India (CJI) Sharad Arvind Bobde and also comprising Justices A S Bopanna and V Ramasubraman said. Senior lawyer Sanjay Parekh, appearing for the NGO petitioner, PUCL, submitted to the Court that the laws were allegedly being misused to harass individuals indulging in interfaith marriages. "The Allahabad High Court has seized of the matter, why did not you (Sanjay Parekh) go there and seek for relief," Court said. Sanjay Parekh also submitted to the Apex Court that there are these legislations, we are challenging, and seeking relief in the case. "Innocent people are being targeted," Sanjay Parekh said. To this, the CJI Bobde said that "We are not saying anything on merits of the case, but asking you to approach the concerned High Court for relief in the case." The Uttarakhand, Gujarat, and Himachal Pradesh government are in the process of trying to bring such kind of acts and laws, Sanjay Parekh told the Top Court. "We are not denying the importance of the matter," the CJI said and asked the petitioner to approach the concerned High Court for relief. The Apex Court allowed the petitioner to withdraw the petition and asked it to go to the High Court. On the last hearing, in the same issue, on January 06, 2021, the Apex court had refused to stay the laws, however, it, issued notices to the two-state governments, Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand, on hearing another similar petition, filed by a lawyer, Pradeep Kumar Yadav, challenging the love jihad ordinance in Uttar Pradesh and Freedom of Religion Act, 2018 in Uttarakhand.

( With inputs from ANI )