Amidst the ongoing countrywide debate on love jihad, the Yogi Government of Uttar Pradesh passed the Prohibition of Conversion of Religions Ordinance, 2020 on Tuesday. According to this new law, the change of religion in Uttar Pradesh in a coercive, lying, greedy or in any other fraudulent manner or for marriage will be a non-bailable offence. The Yogi Government would now deal with the love jihad. Just for marriage, if the girl’s religion is changed, not only will such a marriage be declared invalid, but those who change their religion may also face imprisonment for ten years.
According to the new law, the concerned parties will have to declare before the prescribed authority that this change of religion is fully voluntary for change from one religion to another. The concerned people have to tell that there is no temptation or pressure of any kind anywhere on them. After the enactment of this historic law of the Yogi Government, the change in the religion of a girl from one religion to another in Uttar Pradesh will now bring the category of zero marriage on marriages for a mere purpose. By putting pressure or lying or any other fraudulent change, it will be treated as an offence and will be prosecuted in the First Class Magistrate’s Court in case of an offence of this non-bailable nature. If convicted, the guilty will have to pay a sentence of at least 1 year and a maximum of 5 years, and a minimum fine of Rs. 15,000. If the case is in respect of a minor woman, scheduled caste or scheduled tribe woman, the convict will have to pay imprisonment for 3 years to 10 years and a minimum fine of Rs. 25,000.
UP Cabinet decides to introduce an ordinance against unlawful religious conversions: State Cabinet Minister Siddharth Nath Singh pic.twitter.com/vUPO7SLyR7
— ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) November 24, 2020
This important ordinance, passed by the cabinet on Tuesday, has set a legislation on all aspects of religious change. As per the ordinance, the concerned parties will have to inform the district magistrate 02 months before the prescribed draft, if he is willing to change the dharma. Violation of this may be punishable with a sentence of 0.6 months to 3 years, while the minimum penalty in this offence has been fixed at Rs. 10,000. Moreover, the Yogi Government has also made strong arrangements to rein in the incidents of collective conversion. According to the new law, there may be imprisonment for 0.3 to 10 years in case of collective conversion and a fine of at least Rs. 50,000.
