New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Tuesday (January 3) refused to stay a recent Madhya Pradesh high court order pertaining to the Madhya Pradesh Freedom of Religion Act. The high court had struck down a provision of the Act that said each conversion must be declared before the district magistrate.“All conversions cannot be said to be illegal. Issue notice on the SLP as well as interim relief, returnable on February 7. Dasti permitted,” a bench of Justices M.R. Shah and C.T. Ravikumar said, according to Bar and Bench.Arguing for the state, solicitor general Tushar Mehta had said on Tuesday that marriages or conversions were not prohibited – the law only said that the district magistrate must be informed.The matter will be heard again on February 7.In November 2022, a Madhya Pradesh high court bench had told the state government not to take coercive action against anyone who may fail to adhere to the mandatory declaration provision.“Section 10 makes it obligatory for a citizen desiring conversion to give a declaration in this regard to the District Magistrate which in our opinion ex facie, unconstitutional in the teeth of aforesaid judgments of this Court. Thus, till further orders, respondent shall not prosecute the adult citizens if they solemnize marriage on their own volition and shall not take coercive action for violation of Section 10 of Act of 21,” the order had stated.On paper, the Madhya Pradesh Freedom of Religion Act, 2021, prohibits conversion from one religion to another by use of misrepresentation, force, undue influence, coercion, any other fraudulent means, allurement, or promise of marriage.However, Bharatiya Janata Party and its leaders have made clear that the aim of the law is to tackle “love jihad” – a term coined by Hindutva groups to claim an unfounded conspiracy of Muslim men attempting to convert Hindu women by marrying them. While the Union home ministry has said it has no record of any such cases, several Bharatiya Janata Party-run states have brought ‘love jihad’ laws. Madhya Pradesh was among the first.