Jaipur, Nov. 18 -- The Supreme Court on Monday sought response from the Rajasthan government and others on a petition challenging the validity 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 and others, seeking their replies on the petition, filed by the Jaipur Catholic Welfare Society against the recently enforced law that penalised alleged forceful conversion attempts through stringent provisions including punishment of up to life imprisonment and a fine of up to Rs.50 lakh. The petitioners' counsel Advocate Jerry Varghese said, "The court has issued a notice to the state government seeking a detailed response on the enforcement of this act in four weeks. The court also asked the standing counsel of the government to appear before the Supreme Court during the next hearing." The petition, pleading the court to declare the act to be in contravention of the Fundamental Rights under Articles 14, 19(1)(a), 21 and 25, as well as Article 300A read with Article 14 of the Constitution, said, "The act has a chilling effect" on the right to freedom of religion that has been guaranteed under Article 25, as well as the liberty of faith and belief guaranteed under Article 21."HT has seen a copy of the petition. "These Articles not only constitutionally protect the fundamental right to practice and follow a religion, but also to propagate their religious beliefs. The Rajasthan Act is a direct affront to the fundamental rights which are enshrined in the Constitution," it said. "It has vague provisions directly impinging on the choice of religion of a person in contravention of Article 21 read with Article 14. Severe and disproportionate penal consequences for offences which are vague in contravention of Article 21 read with Article 14. Provisions of deprivation of property, which are not remotely relatable to the objects of the legislation and thus in contravention of Article 300A read with Article 14. There is no nexus with "public order" which is a permissible reasonable restriction under Article 25 or Article 19(2)," the petition read. The bill was passed with voice vote in the assembly on September 9 after the home minister Jawahar Singh Bedham tabled it stating that the legislation seeks to curb religious conversions carried out through fraudulent or coercive means. The bill defines unlawful conversion as any attempt to change a person's religion through misrepresentation, misinformation, coercion, undue influence, allurement, online solicitation, marriage or pretext of marriage, or any other fraudulent means including propaganda. The bill further stipulates that mass conversions will attract a minimum sentence of twenty years, extendable to life imprisonment, along with a fine of not less than Rs.25 lakh....