The All India Christian Council has filed a special civil application in the Gujarat High Court challenging the validity and constitutionality of the Freedom of Religion Act banning conversions without the prior permission of the concerned district magistrates.
Admitting the petition during the preliminary hearing today, Justice K. M. Mehta directed the Advocate General to appear before the court on Friday to explain the government's views on the issue. The petition was filed by Samson Christian, joint secretary of the Council.
The bill was passed by the State Assembly without any discussion on March 26 and the then Governor, Sunder Singh Bhandari, after some initial hesitation, gave his assent to it on April 8.