Rattled over States enacting anti-conversion laws, secular gang piles up PILs

The left-liberal lobby fears that the Acts would discourage 'Love Jihad' and impede demographic change. Hence, their 'postergirl' Teesta Setalvad has launched a PIL offensive against the laws.

New Delhi, Dec 29: The ill-famed lawyer and propagandist Teesta Setalvad is at it again. After failing miserably in her Gujarat riots related court cases, she is now trying to gain some media attention through her public interest litigations (PILs) against the anti-conversion laws passed by UP and Uttarakhand.

The BJP-run governments in Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand have criminalised religious conversion via marriage and mandated that a prior official clearance should be obtained for the change in faith. Needless to say that this has not gone well with the 'secular gang' as it is meant to discourage 'Love Jihad' and demographic change.

The anti-conversion laws, popularly called 'anti-Love Jihad' laws, were challenged earlier too, but the Supreme Court had refused to stay implementation of the Acts. However, this time, the apex court has agreed to hear the petitions to check the constitutional validity of the laws, according to reports.

Agenda behind the PILs

A large number of 'Love Jihad' cases have been making the headlines. These are not just about inter-religion marriages but using it as a tool to convert women and enhance the demographics of a particular community. Following popular demand to put a check on it, the UP government brought in the Prohibition of Unlawful Conversion of Religion Ordinance, 2020. A similar law, Freedom of Religion Act, 2018, was passed by the Uttarakhand government.

However, it appears that Teesta and her gang are not in peace with the laws passed by the democratically elected governments. Her NGO 'Citizens for Justice and Peace' is a party in the PILs against these State laws. Meanwhile, Jamiat-Ulama-i-Hind, known for its radical Islamic stance, is trying to be another party to help her as its agenda for demographic change is being impacted by the laws.

Truth behind the PIL move

Although PILs in general have largely been aimed at bringing justice, these have also been used by the left-liberal cabal to stop progressive laws, stop the government from installing development projects and now holding back the elected governments to pass a law. An elected government has every right to pass a law to protect its citizens from the elements involved in nefarious designs and this is what the UP and Uttarakhand governments did.

Interestingly, the pleas filed by Teesta's NGO contend that the laws passed by Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand are against inter-religious marriages and against the basic secular spirit of the Constitution, hence they be declared ultra vires. Ironically, she forgets that the Constitution also does not permit 'Love Jihad' to wage a demographic war against Hindus.