'Love Jihad' law is staggering Muslim youth: Jamiat Ulama-e-Hind in Supreme Court

 New Delhi - Jamiat Ulama-e-Hind has challenged the petition of the Supreme Court challenging the validity of the Uttar Pradesh government ordinance to curb the incidents of so-called "love jihad".

In a PIL filed by Vishal Thackeray, the body of Muslim clergy raised the issue of fundamental rights of Muslim youth, who are being targeted through the ordinance and said that it is being used to topple them.

The petition said that the ordinance is unconstitutional and is in violation of Articles 14, 21 and 25 of the Constitution.

"The ordinance seeks to regulate the individual judgment of each individual, so that he may convert to the religion of his choice. It is submitted that the inquiry into the status of such an individual decision constitutes a serious attack on a person's personal liberty. Is and is a violation of Article 21. The

plea said that apart from the Uttarakhand Freedom of Religion Ordinance, Uttar Pradesh Prohibition of 2020 and the Religion Transformation Act, 2018, Himachal Pradesh (Himachal Pradesh Freedom of Religion Act, 2019) likewise A law has been enacted. A similar law is in Madhya Pradesh, where the cabinet approved the Madhya Pradesh Freedom of Religion Bill 2020.

The Muslim body stated, "The ordinance seeks to remove the practice of forced conversion, although it provides that reconciliation of a person's previous religion is not illegal, even if it is fraud, force, purchase, misrepresentation. And that is how it is erased ", the Muslim body said.

The organization has argued that the ordinance overturns the rule of burden of proof in criminal law. "It is submitted that the burden of proof in criminal cases rests on the prosecution, and the presumption that a person accused of committing the crime is innocent until proven guilty. However, the ordinance promulgated on the ground that each religious conversion is illegal Is, "the petition states. The

application, filed through advocate Ejaz Maqbool, stated that the ordinance made it a crime to proselytize a person by offering to" buy "him, which is very broadly defined Giving, for example, the gift of a book containing the teachings of Islam.

"It is submitted that the obligation to allow conversion two months ago is fundamentally arbitrary and a violation of the right to privacy." The organization said.