By Anto Akkara
Bangalore, India, Jan 14, 2025 / 14:30 pm
Amid the potential revival of a 1978 anti-conversion law, Christian leaders in Arunachal Pradesh, northeast India, remain relatively unfazed by the development.
“We are the major religious community in the state and we do not expect the government to bring in harsh clauses to trouble us while implementing the court order,” said Miri Stephen Thar, the Catholic president of the ecumenical Arunachal Christian Forum, in an interview with CNA on Jan. 14.
The dormant law, passed by the state legislature, is being revived following an order by the Guwahati High Court in September, directing the state government to “frame rules” within six months for its implementation.
This order came in response to a petition filed by an Indigenous rights activist.
In India, a law can only be enforced after specific “rules” are framed and announced. However, in Arunachal Pradesh, this process was never followed after the law was passed 46 years ago, resulting in its non-enforcement.
The recent development has garnered media attention since December.
