India's Supreme Court Takes On Anti Conversion Laws as 14 Million Christians Fight for Religious Freedom

India's Supreme Court to Review Anti Conversion Laws That Target Christians Across 12 States

India's Supreme Court has accepted a landmark petition challenging the constitutional validity of anti conversion laws enforced across 12 states, opening the door to a sweeping judicial review that could reshape religious freedom protections for millions of Christians.

A bench led by Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi on February 2 issued notices to the central government and 12 state governments after the National Council of Churches in India (NCCI) filed a writ petition contesting the legislation.

The 12 states under challenge are Odisha, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Gujarat, Himachal Pradesh, Jharkhand, Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Karnataka, Haryana, and Rajasthan.

The NCCI, which represents approximately 14 million people through 32 member churches, 17 regional Christian councils, 18 all India organizations, and 7 related agencies, argues these laws

criminalize voluntary conversion, encourage and incentivize vigilante groups to commit violence against minority communities.

Senior Advocate Meenakshi Arora argued the case on behalf of the churches. The petition challenges the laws on four grounds: they wrongly presume adult conversions are coerced, use vague definitions of terms like "allurement" and "undue influence," enable third party complainants to file false accusations without safeguards, and reverse the burden of proof onto defendants.

Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, representing the Union government, opposed the petition and told the court that the Centre's response is ready. He reminded the bench that a five judge Constitution Bench had previously upheld the constitutional validity of anti conversion laws.

Reports from monitoring groups indicate 2025 saw record levels of anti Christian incidents, with hundreds of documented cases of assaults, church disruptions, threats, and vandalism, marking the fifth consecutive year of escalation. A three judge bench will now hear all consolidated petitions once governments file their responses within four weeks.

Supreme Court of India Sets Stage for Constitutional Battle Over Religious Freedom Laws

Rights advocates have documented disturbing patterns of vigilante enforcement, where groups conduct forced "reconversion" ceremonies compelling Christians to perform Hindu rituals. Observers describe this as part of India's broader "saffronisation" movement, which seeks to impose a singular Hindu identity while marginalizing other faiths.

India's secular constitution guarantees freedom of religion under Articles 21 through 25, granting citizens the right to practice, preach, and propagate their chosen faith. The NCCI petition argues that the anti conversion statutes directly contradict these constitutional guarantees.

The Crusader's Opinion

Fourteen million Christians in India are being told that choosing Jesus is a crime. Let that sink in. These so called "anti conversion" laws are not protecting anyone. They are weapons. They empower mobs to drag believers out of churches, beat pastors, and burn Bibles, all under the cover of law. If Christians were doing this to Hindus in the West, every human rights organization on earth would be screaming. But when it happens to our brothers and sisters in India? Silence. The hypocrisy is deafening. Pray that this Supreme Court does what is right. And if it does not, pray even harder, because the Church in India will need every ounce of our support to endure what comes next.

Take Action

• Pray daily for the 14 million Christians represented by the NCCI and for the Supreme Court justices reviewing this case.
• Support persecuted Christians in India through The Shepherd's Shield, which provides direct aid to believers facing persecution.
• Donate to Open Doors, which ranks India as one of the top countries for Christian persecution worldwide.
• Contact the Indian Embassy in your country and urge them to uphold constitutional religious freedom protections. Find your nearest embassy at indianembassy.org.
• Support International Christian Concern (ICC), which actively monitors and reports on persecution in India.
• Share this story on social media to raise awareness. Use the hashtags #IndiaAntiConversionLaws #ReligiousFreedom #PersecutedChurch to amplify the voices of Indian Christians.