India (International Christian Concern) — On Tuesday, India’s Supreme Court requested responses from nine states regarding petitions challenging their anti-conversion laws. The court gave the states four weeks to respond.  

The states include Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Uttarakhand, and Uttar Pradesh. A hearing on the matter is scheduled to occur in six weeks. Petitioners have shared concerns that the laws are being weaponized against Christians and members of other minority religions. 

The bench of Chief Justice BR Gavai and Justice K Vinod Chandra stated that it would consider granting a stay on the execution of the laws after reviewing the states’ responses.  

For years, Hindu radical groups have used the laws to initiate false complaints and pressure law enforcement to act against individual Christians and their communities, often without credible evidence. 

In several cases, these complaints are lodged by third parties with vested interests, such as organizations or individuals aligned with Hindu nationalism, rather than the individuals or families affected by the alleged conversions. 

Without adequate safeguards against misuse of the laws, Christians have voiced concerns about the tendency of state authorities to act on complaints without conducting any preliminary investigation. This has led to arbitrary arrests, detentions, and the imposition of social and legal stigma on the accused, particularly Christians and others from minority communities. 

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