The Uttar Pradesh government, led by Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, is making major changes to the law on “love jihad.” They have introduced the Uttar Pradesh Unlawful Religious Conversion Prohibition Bill 2024 in the assembly. This new bill proposes a lifetime jail for those convicted of “love jihad.” It also makes funding for unlawful religious conversions a crime.
The current law Uttar Pradesh’s Prohibition of Unlawful Conversion of Religion Act 2021 has penalties ranging from 1 to 10 years or lifetime jail for ‘love jihad’. This act declares conversions solely for marriage as invalid and it also considers conversions through deceit or falsehood as criminal. For voluntary conversions people must inform the magistrate two months in advance.
The Penalties And Fines
Under the 2021 Act forced or deceitful conversions result in a jail term of 1 to 5 years and a fine of Rs 15,000. If these actions involve minors, women, or members of the SC-ST community the penalty increases to a jail term of 3 to 10 years and a fine of Rs 25,000. People seeking to convert must notify the district magistrate two months in advance. Failure to do so leads to a jail term of 6 months to 3 years and a minimum fine of Rs 10,000.
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Who Can Report The Love Jihad Case?
The new bill expands who can report “love jihad” cases. Previously only victims, their parents, or siblings could file complaints. Now anyone can submit written complaints to the police for the investigation of the case.
The government introduced this bill on July 29. They aim to pass it on July 30. The government defends the bill saying it protects vulnerable individuals especially women from being forced or deceived into religious conversions. They state the law does not discriminate against any community or religion and applies to everyone.
Yogi Adityanath’s government has taken a tough stance on “love jihad” since the 2017 assembly elections. They have committed to creating strict laws to address this issue. The new bill is part of this effort to safeguard individuals and ensure justice.
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