 Himachal Pradesh High Court in India Photo: India_2012 / Flickr |
The Himachal Pradesh High Court in India has struck down a law which made it compulsory for those seeking to convert from his or her religion to give a 30-day notice to the District Magistrate before conversion. The verdict in the landmark anti-conversion case challenged both the Himachal Pradesh Freedom of Religion Act of 2006 and Himachal Pradesh Freedom of Religion Rules of 2007.
The Court also struck down rules making it mandatory for the state to inquire into every religious conversion. These rules did not provide sufficient safeguards outlining the time frame for such an inquiry or even who should conduct the inquiry. Unfortunately, many other provisions restricting religious freedom will stand.
Praise the Lord for the Evangelical Fellowship of India and the legal team who fought for these freedoms. Please pray that India will continue to recognize and respect the religious freedom of citizens to worship, gather together, and evangelize. Pray that, in the meantime, Christians in India will be bold in their faith despite threat of persecution.
To learn more about the suffering Church in India, please visit the India Country Report.
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