The draft was cleared in a cabinet meeting at CM residence on Saturday. It was decided to make the law more stringent.
The cabinet has approved the draft of the proposed bill of anti-conversion law to curb Love Jihad in Madhya Pradesh. It will now be introduced in the winter session of the assembly starting on 28 December. The draft was cleared in a cabinet meeting at CM residence on Saturday. It was decided to make the law more stringent.
Earlier, Home Minister Narottam Mishra has also said that the law should be tightened. It is being said that the Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh, Yogi Adityanath, the Shivraj government is also moving ahead on the way that this law has been made.
10 key points of the bill:
- There will be a provision of 10 years punishment for seducing, forcing conversions and getting married. This offence will be non-bailable.
- The District Magistrate will have to submit an application in writing to both the parties to the conversion and the marriage and get it done 2 months before the conversion and subsequent marriage.
- There is also a provision for imprisonment of up to 5 years for religious leaders, Qazi, Maulvi or clergy who have converted without applying.
- Complaints about conversion and forced marriage can be made by the victim, parents, family or guardian.
- Those who cooperate will also be made the main accused. Taking them as criminals will be punished just like the main accused.
- Registration of institutions forcibly converting or marrying will be cancelled.
- The registration of the organizations or donors who donated to such conversion or marriage institutions will also be cancelled.
- All the accused who cooperate in such conversion or marriage will be prosecuted like the main accused.
Returning to your religion will not be considered a conversion. - Provision has been made to get the right of maintenance to the victim woman and the child born.
Only the accused has to present proof of innocence. - Even convicts in UP sentenced to 10 years.
In Uttar Pradesh, the law to ban wrong conversions has come into effect. It was approved by the Governor on 28 November. The cabinet passed its bill on 24 November. Yogi Adityanath had said during the assembly by-election that a law will be brought against Love Jihad in the state for the purpose of protecting women. Efforts are also underway to bring such legislation in Haryana, Karnataka and some other states ruled by BJP.
Uttar Pradesh was the first state in the country, where this law was passed. UP also has a provision of registration of a case under non-bailable sections and a maximum punishment of 10 years under this law.
Shivraj Singh Chouhan, hinting at a possible political angle in such suspect conversions, today said such instances have surfaced where if someone’s looking to capture a panchayat, “get married to a beti (daughter) and field her in polls”. “Only recently did we bring back underaged girls from various places. We won’t allow this to happen to innocent girls from Madhya Pradesh,” the MP chief minister said.
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