Supreme Court Issues Notice on Plea Challenging Chhattisgarh's 2026 Conversion Law

The Supreme Court on Monday issued notice on a petition challenging the Chhattisgarh Dharma Swatantrya Act, 2026, the state's law regulating religious conversions. A bench led by Chief Justice Surya Kant passed the order, Live Law reported. The petitioner has sought to restrain Chhattisgarh authorities from interfering with any religious practice of the Christian community, particularly during Christian festivals, according to the report.

Awaaz Punjab Investigations Desk26 October 20263 min readRead in all 3 languages

New Delhi, October 26 — The Supreme Court on Monday issued notice on a plea challenging the Chhattisgarh Dharma Swatantrya Act, 2026, which regulates religious conversions, Live Law reported in its breaking-news alerts for October 26. A bench led by Chief Justice of India Surya Kant passed the order.

Source: Live Law

The petitioner seeks to restrain Chhattisgarh authorities from interfering with any religious practice of the Christian community, particularly during Christian festivals, according to the Live Law report. The report did not name the petitioner or give a date for the next hearing.

Source: Live Law

The 2026 Act was passed by the Chhattisgarh Legislative Assembly in March 2026 and received the Governor's assent in April, replacing the earlier similar law in force since 1968, International Christian Concern reported in its account of a separate challenge to the same law before the Chhattisgarh High Court.

Source: International Christian Concern

In that High Court case, heard on October 8, the court issued a three-week notice to the Chhattisgarh government seeking a formal response to the objections raised in the plea, International Christian Concern reported. That petition was filed by civil rights advocates and Christian community leaders, according to the report.

The petitioners in the High Court case contended — as an allegation in their plea — that a person's faith should not depend on state approval or prior public notification, and argued that the law requires even voluntary conversions to make public disclosures and obtain multiple government clearances. They argued the statute violates fundamental rights including privacy, personal liberty and freedom of conscience under Article 25 of the Constitution, the report said. Lawmakers who backed the Act framed it as a measure to prevent fraudulent or forced conversions, according to the same report.

The Supreme Court's notice on Monday is the first step in the new plea: it asks the respondents to reply, and the court has not decided the validity of the 2026 Act.

Sources