SC seeks Rajasthan govt's response on plea challenging validity of anti-conversion law
New Delhi (PTI) The Supreme Court on Friday sought response from the Rajasthan government on a plea challenging the validity of the provisions of the Rajasthan Prohibition of Unlawful Conversion of Religion Act, 2025.
A bench of Justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta issued notice to the state government seeking its response on the plea filed by the Peoples Union For Civil Liberties and others.
The bench tagged the plea with separate pending petitions raising similar issue.
Senior advocate Sanjay Parikh appeared for the petitioners.
Solicitor General Tushar Mehta told the bench that similar matters are pending before the apex court and this plea be tagged with them.
The petitioners have sought a declaration that provisions of the Act are "arbitrary, unreasonable, illegal and ultra vires" the Constitution and also violative of Articles, including Article 14 (equality before law) and Article 21 (protection of life and personal liberty).
On November 17, the top court sought response from the Rajasthan government and others on a separate plea challenging the validity of the Act.
The apex court on November 3 had agreed to hear two separate petitions challenging the validity of several provisions of the law against illegal religious conversions that came into force in Rajasthan.
In September, another bench of the apex court sought the stand of several states on separate pleas seeking a stay on their respective anti-conversion laws.
The top court had then made it clear that it would consider the prayer for staying the operation of such laws once the replies were filed.
The bench was then dealing with a batch 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.
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Time has come to implement Women's Reservation Act: PM Modi's letter to LS, RS floor leaders
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New Delhi (PTI): Prime Minister Narendra Modi has said that the time has come for the implementation of the Women's Reservation Act in its true spirit and the 2029 Lok Sabha elections and Assembly elections are conducted with the quota for women in place.
In a letter to the floor leaders of Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha, ahead of the three-day special sittings of Parliament, Modi also asked all members to come together in one voice to pass the amendments to the women's reservation law, officially known as Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam.
"After extensive deliberations, we have reached the conclusion that the time has now come to implement the Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam in its true spirit across the country.
"It is imperative that the 2029 Lok Sabha elections and Assembly elections are conducted with women's reservation in place," the Prime Minister said in his letter dated April 11.
The Budget Session of Parliament has been extended, and a special three-day sitting of the House has been convened on April 16 to 18.
The Women's Reservation Act will ensure an increase in the number of Lok Sabha seats to 816, of which 273 will be reserved for women.
The provision to provide 33 per cent reservation to women in the Lok Sabha and state assemblies was brought by amending the Constitution in 2023.
However, the women's quota would have come into effect only after the completion of the delimitation exercise on the basis of the 2027 Census. This meant the reservation would not have become enforceable before 2034 if the present law remains as is.
To implement it from the 2029 Lok Sabha elections, changes were needed in the Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam; hence, the government is holding a special session to pass the amendments to the law.
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