'Prejudicial To The Right To Equality Of Women': Women's Rights Group Moves Allahabad HC Against Anti-Conversion Ordinance

 A women's rights group based in Lucknow moved to Allahabad High Court against the Anti-conversion ordinance passed by the Uttar Pradesh government. The group named Association for Advocacy and Legal Initiatives alleged that the ordinance is a threat to constitutional rights of women and all citizens. 

The application also claimed that the anti-conversion law denies a woman's right to autonomy by promoting controversial theories such as 'Love Jihad' and 'Ghar wapsi'. The application argues the UP government's claim that conversion for marriage is the result of the intervention of personal law, and said that the only persons who wish to practise the faith of their marital partner choose to convert their religion for the purpose of marriage. It also cited the Special Marriage Act that allows inter-faith marriages. According to the women's rights group, the ordinance “infantilizes the legitimate choice made by an adult person” by outlawing conversion for marriage. 

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The organisation further said that by allowing relatives to file FIR against the inter-faith marriages annihilates the individual autonomy and liberty of women. The application read, " The impugned Ordinance promotes gender stereotypes which views the right of the family or community as supreme and while treating women as repositories of ‘honour’, deprives her of her personality, privacy and dignity." The application also said that the ordinance is "prejudicial to the interest and right to equality of women" and it also fails to pass the test of strict judicial scrutiny. 

The organisation appealed to the high court to be aware of the controversial theories of ' love jihad as it alleged, "the rhetoric of 'Love-Jihad' has been allowed to run riot and vigilante groups and relatives of young Hindu women have 'villainized' Muslim men who have consensual relationships with Hindu women."

According to a report, the advocates associated with the application are Vrinda Govind, Tanmay Sadh, Soutik Banerjee and Aakarsh Kamra.

Also read: Interfaith UP Couple That Fled To Delhi Seeks Protection Against Possible ‘Love Jihad’ Allegations