The Uttar Pradesh Prohibition of Unlawful Conversion of Religion Ordinance, 2020 was promulgated in November to prohibit religious conversions in the name of 'love jihad'.
A bench comprising Chief Justice Govind Mathur and Justice Piyush Agrawal asked the state government to file a counter affidavit by January 4 and fixed the case for hearing on January 7, 2021.
The bench, however, refused to grant any interim relief in the form of a stay order.
As per the ordinance to ban unlawful religious conversions, the onus was put on the defendant to prove that the conversion was not for marriage.
It provides for 1-5 year imprisonment if an accused fails to prove that the conversion of the woman was not for marriage or by use of force, allurement etc.