India's highest court heard a petition denouncing the rise of hate speech and attacks carried out by vigilante groups against Christians — especially during festive periods.
The International Christian Concern (ICC) reported that India's Supreme Court heard, on July 15, a petition denouncing the growth of hate speech against Christians and the activity of vigilante groups — extralegal organizations that assign themselves the role of "policing" religious conversions, often resorting to intimidation and outright violence.
According to the report, the petition draws special attention to the seasonal pattern of this kind of violence: attacks and threats tend to intensify during festive periods, when Christian gatherings and festivals become more visible publicly. The document explicitly asks the Court to recognize and guarantee constitutional protection for the country's religious minorities in the face of these attacks.
Bringing the issue to the country's highest judicial body matters for two reasons: it formally acknowledges a pattern of violence that, until now, was treated mostly as isolated incidents; and it opens the way for the judiciary — not just public opinion — to take a position on the limits of these groups' activity, with the weight of constitutional precedent. The outcome of the petition has not yet been reported by the source.
Pray for wisdom and impartiality for the Supreme Court justices as they rule on this petition, for protection for Christians during celebrations and festivals, and for the violence of vigilante groups to lose its social backing.
Religious FreedomMaharashtra's state government ordered a time-bound audit of land owned by churches and mission organizations to identify alleged irregularities.
Religious PersecutionCommunity groups organized protests in Narayanpur, Chhattisgarh, alleging forced conversions in villages and demanding an investigation — Christian families were intimidated and pressured to leave.
