Supreme Court seeks government replies in challenge to Chhattisgarh's anti-conversion law

The Supreme Court, through a three-judge bench led by Chief Justice Surya Kant, ordered the Union and Chhattisgarh governments to file responses to a petition questioning the state's anti-conversion act. The petition, brought by the tribal Christian group Isai Adivasi Mahasabha, contends that sections of the law—such as treating promises of a "better lifestyle" as allurement and requiring public posting of conversion details—violate constitutional guarantees of religious freedom under Article 25.

The court will consider this challenge together with pending cases against similar statutes in Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan. Senior advocate Colin Gonsalves argued that the provisions could criminalise ordinary preaching and charitable work, and noted that a related case is already before the Chhattisgarh High Court. The bench suggested the matter might be transferred to the high court for a quicker hearing but remained open to expediting the Supreme Court's review.