Anti-love jihad ordinance challenged in Allahabad HC

The ordinance issued by the Uttar Pradesh government on the conversion of “love jihad” has been challenged in the Allahabad High Court. This is the second challenge against the ordinance.

Petitioner Saurabh Kumar’s PIL has urged for the cancellation of the ordinance as morally and constitutionally illegal. It has been said that harassment should be banned under this law.

According to the petition, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath gave a statement on October 31, 2020 that his Government will bring a law against Love Jihad. They believe that a Muslim man’s marriage to a Hindu woman is part of a conspiracy to convert the women to Islam.

The single bench has declared conversion to marriage illegal. This statement has come after this. The bench ruled contrary to the decision of the single bench and said that two adults can marry.

Changing religion and marrying is not considered wrong and said that every person has the right to choose life partner and religion of his choice. The ordinance is contrary to the judgment in the Salamat Ansari case and violates Article 21 right to life, so it should be declared unconstitutional.

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“Right to live with a person of his/her choice irrespective of religion professed by them is intrinsic to right to life and personal liberty”,

the division bench comprising Justice Pankaj Naqvi and Justice Vivek Agarwal observed while holding the single bench judgments as not good in law.