Supreme Court Issues Notice on CBCI’s Challenge to Rajasthan’s Anti-Conversion Law

Delhi, Dec 10, 2025: In a significant step forward, the Supreme Court has issued a notice on a writ petition filed by the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of India (CBCI), after the organisation raised serious concerns about provisions in Rajasthan’s anti-conversion law that, it says, strike at constitutional rights and fundamental liberties.

Welcoming the Court’s decision, a CBCI representative told Catholic Connect that they are “happy that the Supreme Court has accepted the petition and issued the notice,” adding that the CBCI is hopeful for a favourable outcome.

According to the representative, such provisions amount to “a violation of personal liberty guaranteed by the Indian Constitution.”

Explaining the reasons behind the petition, the representative said the CBCI is concerned that several provisions of the law are “unconstitutional and problematic.” They noted that ordinary acts of Christian service—such as charity, free education, or running orphanages—could now be misinterpreted as unlawful activities. The repeated use of terms like allurement and undue influence, the representative said, creates a situation in which even genuine humanitarian work is viewed with suspicion.

They further pointed out that the Act allows any person, even someone without locus standi, to initiate criminal proceedings. Since the law does not restrict complaints to only the aggrieved party, it opens the door to misuse by fringe elements. This, the representative argued, poses a serious risk to institutions that have long contributed to nation-building and could ultimately lead to their closure. Such a framework, they stressed, is unconstitutional and undermines the fundamental freedoms guaranteed in India.

They added that the law now requires individuals to inform the District Magistrate (DM) before converting, followed by the conversion being publicly displayed on the DM’s notice board, which undermines personal liberties guaranteed by the Constitution.

By Catholic Connect Reporter