The Supreme Court on Friday stayed the arrests of Rajendra Bihari Lal, vice-chancellor of Sam Higginbottom University of Agriculture, Technology and Sciences (SHUATS) in Uttar Pradesh, and director Vinod Bihari Lal over allegations of religious conversions.

The two officials had approached the top court apprehending arrests by the state police. Allahabad High Court had earlier declined to grant bail to them after the state government invoked the anti-conversion law against them.

An apex court bench headed by Chief Justice D.Y. Chandrachud stayed the arrest upon a special request for immediate hearing by senior advocate Siddharth Dave during the morning mentioning time.

The court issued notice to the Uttar Pradesh government and other authorities for their response on the plea by the two university officials to quash the criminal cases against them.

The senior counsel alleged that the duo were being hounded by Uttar Pradesh police based on a false and frivolous complaint made by a disgruntled employee and a student who was rusticated in a sexual harassment case.

According to Dave, the name of the Allahabad-based VC did not even figure in the original FIR registered at Fatehpur eight months ago alleging mass conversion by some persons. The court will hear the matter on March 24.