LUCKNOW: Unlawful conversion in UP could henceforth invite a maximum punishment of life imprisonment, up from the current 10-year jail term, after the assembly passed a Bill on Tuesday amending the 2021 law to make it stricter, including proclaiming all such offences as non-bailable.
Prohibition of Unlawful Conversion of Religion (Amendment) Bill, 2024, proposes to allow anyone “associated with the victim” to file a complaint against illegal conversion.The existing law enables only the victim to report forced conversion. Another significant change is that any case pertaining to illegal conversion will have to be heard by a sessions court or higher.
The Bill, tabled by parliamentary affairs minister Suresh Khanna on behalf of CM Yogi Adityanath, includes two sub-clauses. The first introduces a fine of Rs 10 lakh and imprisonment of up to 14 years if the convict is found associated with “foreign” or “illegal” agencies. Under the second clause, the convict would be liable for a jail term ranging from 20 years to life if found guilty of unlawful religious conversion “by luring/provoking a person, essentially a minor girl or women from the SC/ST community”.
The convict could also be ordered to pay compensation to the victim to cover livelihood and medication expenses. Khanna said there was “nothing controversial” about an amendment to a Bill aiming to “bring justice to victims subjected to unlawful religious conversions”.
The bid to curb forced religious conversion started with an ordinance brought by the Yogi government in Nov 2020. A Bill was passed later by both Houses of the UP legislature. The new law took effect in 2021.
Opposition wants the amendment Bill to be referred to a select committee with a mandate to submit its report within a month. LoP Mata Prasad Pandey said since the law could lead to false cases being lodged, a clause such as a year’s imprisonment for such a crime should be inserted into the amendment Bill.
Khanna responded to opposition’s doubts by saying that the amended law safeguards the interests and liberty of every individual. He said the existing penal provisions were adequate deterrents to people lodging false cases.
Prohibition of Unlawful Conversion of Religion (Amendment) Bill, 2024, proposes to allow anyone “associated with the victim” to file a complaint against illegal conversion.The existing law enables only the victim to report forced conversion. Another significant change is that any case pertaining to illegal conversion will have to be heard by a sessions court or higher.
The Bill, tabled by parliamentary affairs minister Suresh Khanna on behalf of CM Yogi Adityanath, includes two sub-clauses. The first introduces a fine of Rs 10 lakh and imprisonment of up to 14 years if the convict is found associated with “foreign” or “illegal” agencies. Under the second clause, the convict would be liable for a jail term ranging from 20 years to life if found guilty of unlawful religious conversion “by luring/provoking a person, essentially a minor girl or women from the SC/ST community”.
The convict could also be ordered to pay compensation to the victim to cover livelihood and medication expenses. Khanna said there was “nothing controversial” about an amendment to a Bill aiming to “bring justice to victims subjected to unlawful religious conversions”.
The bid to curb forced religious conversion started with an ordinance brought by the Yogi government in Nov 2020. A Bill was passed later by both Houses of the UP legislature. The new law took effect in 2021.
Opposition wants the amendment Bill to be referred to a select committee with a mandate to submit its report within a month. LoP Mata Prasad Pandey said since the law could lead to false cases being lodged, a clause such as a year’s imprisonment for such a crime should be inserted into the amendment Bill.
Khanna responded to opposition’s doubts by saying that the amended law safeguards the interests and liberty of every individual. He said the existing penal provisions were adequate deterrents to people lodging false cases.