SC declines urgent listing of pleas against anti-conversion laws of various states
New Delhi (PTI): The Supreme Court on Tuesday refused to list for urgent hearing the pleas seeking a stay on anti-conversion laws enacted by various states, including Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh.
A bench comprising Chief Justice B R Gavai and Justices K Vinod Chandran and NV Anjaria said the pleas will be listed for hearing in December.
A lawyer, appearing for one of the petitioners, sought listing of the interim pleas, seeking stay of the laws, next week.
“It is not possible. I have to write judgments,” the CJI, who is retiring on November 23, said.
On September 16, the bench sought the stand of several states on the pleas seeking a stay on their respective anti-conversion laws.
While issuing notices to states, the CJI-led bench made it clear that it will consider the prayer for staying the operation of such laws once the replies were filed.
The bench had then granted four weeks to the states for their responses and allowed the petitioners to file rejoinders two weeks thereafter. The matter was posted after six weeks.
The bench is seized of petitions challenging the constitutional validity of anti-conversion laws enacted by several states, including Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Haryana, Jharkhand, and Karnataka.
The Centre previously raised questions over the locus standi of activist Teesta Setalwad's NGO Citizens for Justice and Peace in challenging the contentious state laws regulating religious conversions due to interfaith marriages.
Alleging the NGO allows its name to be used "at the behest of some selected political interest", the Union of India claimed it was guilty of collecting huge funds by exploiting the agonies of riot-affected people.
The apex court on January 6, 2021 agreed to examine certain new and controversial laws of states like Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand regulating religious conversions due to interfaith marriages.
The Uttar Pradesh law relates to not only interfaith marriages but all religious conversions and lays down elaborate procedures for anyone who wishes to convert to another religion.
The Uttarakhand law entails a two-year jail term for those found guilty of religious conversion through "force or allurement". The allurement can be in the form of cash, employment or material benefits.
The plea filed by the NGO alleged that these legislations violate Articles 21 and 25 of the Constitution as those empower the State to suppress an individual's personal liberty and freedom to practise the religion of his choice.
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Two arrested in K'taka for assaulting minors, uploading CSAM content
Bengaluru (PTI): Two men were arrested for allegedly sexually assaulting two minor girls, recording the acts on mobile phones and uploading the videos online as child sexual abuse material, police said on Thursday.
The accused have been identified as Kiran Kumar (29), hailing from Chitradurga district, and Aditya M K (20), hailing from Shivamogga district, they said.
A probe was initiated after information was received from the NCRP portal regarding a suspected instance of creation of Child Sexual Abuse Material (CSAM) for online dissemination, police said.
Accordingly, a case was registered at Kaggalipura Police Station under relevant sections of the IT Act on May 10, they added.
Investigation revealed that two minor girl victims were exploited and videos were created and uploaded to the internet. The child victims have subsequently recorded their statements as per procedure and further necessary legal steps have been taken, Pronab Mohanty Director General of Police, Cyber Command, said in a statement.
Based on the statements of the victims, the accused persons, who allegedly assaulted the minors, recorded the acts on mobile phones and uploaded the videos online, were arrested, he said.
Following the probe, sections 65(2) (rape) and 70 (gangrape) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, along with relevant sections of the POCSO Act, have been added to the FIR, police said.
Officials collected relevant information and on May 12, arrested the accused persons and seized three mobile phones belonging to them, in which the videos had allegedly been recorded, he said.
The accused were later produced before the court and taken into police custody for further investigation, he added.
According to him, in CSAM cases, police usually apprehend offenders who have downloaded such content or have kept them in their possession after obtaining them from elsewhere, usually the internet.
"The present case is one of the very few instances where content creators and uploaders have been apprehended," Mohanty added.
