UP conversion ordinance a law now with guv’s seal

UP conversion ordinance a law now with guv’s seal

Neha.Lalchandani@timesgroup.com

Lucknow:29.11.2020

The state’s ordinance on unlawful religious conversion was signed into a law by governor Anandiben Patel on Saturday. From now on, it is illegal to religiously convert a person unless a two months’ notice is given to the district magistrate declaring one’s intent to convert.

The law, however, will not be applicable to cases of ‘ghar wapsi’. The ordinance says: “provided that if any person reconverts to his/her immediate previous religion then the same shall not be deemed to be a conversion under the ordinance”.

A person who forcibly converts someone and is found guilty by a court can be made to pay a compensation of up to Rs 5 lakh to the victim in addition to the fine imposed on the accused under the ordinance.

The Uttar Pradesh Prohibition of Unlawful Conversion of Religion Ordinance, 2020, passed by the state cabinet on Tuesday, also states that marriage for the sake of conversion or vice versa is illegal. “Any marriage which was done for the sole purpose of unlawful conversion or vice versa by the man of one religion with the woman of another religion either by converting him/her by force or after marriage or by converting the woman before or after marriage shall be declared void.”

A senior official in the home department said to convert, even for the purpose of marriage, one would have to follow the rules which include informing the district magistrate concerned at least two months before the planned conversion in the prescribed format. A person can also make the declaration within 60 days of having converted. Two persons of different religions required to convert for the purpose of marriage can’t, therefore, get married without a two months’ notice, unless they opted for a civil marriage. Failing to provide information would also invite penalty, he said.

Bharti: No need for conversion in India

Former CM of Madhya Pradesh and senior BJP functionary Uma Bharti feels there is “no need for religious conversion” in India. Her statement is being perceived as criticism of the proposed law against ‘love jihad’ in the state. “Hindus in the country are free to read Quran and Bible, and go to mandir and masjid,” she said on Friday when asked for her stand on the proposed Freedom of Religion Bill-2020 against ‘love jihad’. TNN

‘Stop conversions under garb of love’

Madhya Pradesh CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Saturday said forced religious conversions under the garb of love must be stopped. “The condition of daughters who were forced to convert has gone from bad to worse. This is why it is necessary to stop marriages that are being entered into with wrong motives through incentives, pressure, fear and temptation,” Chouhan said. TNN