LUCKNOW: The Uttar Pradesh Assembly is set to consider and potentially pass a bill on Tuesday that aims to amend the Unlawful Conversion of Religion Act, increasing the maximum punishment to life imprisonment and a fine of Rs 5 lakh for violators. The amendment targets anyone who threatens, attacks, marries, promises to marry, conspires, or traffics a woman, minor, or any person with the intention of conversion, categorizing these actions as severe crimes.
The proposed amendment, named the Uttar Pradesh Prohibition of Unlawful Conversion of Religion Bill, 2024, stipulates penalties of 20 years to life imprisonment for such offenses.Previously, the maximum punishment was 10 years and a fine of Rs 50,000.
Parliamentary Affairs Minister Suresh Khanna introduced the bill in the House on Monday.
The amended provisions allow any person to register an FIR in conversion cases, expanding the scope from the previous requirement where the victim, their parents, or siblings needed to lodge the complaint. Now, anyone can inform the police about such cases in writing.
“These cases will not be heard by any court below sessions court,” states the amended bill. Additionally, it highlights that bail pleas will not be considered without giving an opportunity to the public prosecutor, and all offenses under this act will be non-bailable.
Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath initiated this bill as part of efforts to curb what is termed “love jihad,” referring to alleged forcible conversion under the guise of marriage. An ordinance was first issued in November 2020, and after the bill was passed by both houses of the Uttar Pradesh Legislature, the Uttar Pradesh Prohibition of Unlawful Conversion of Religion Act, 2021 came into effect.
This forthcoming legislative session will be crucial as it deliberates on these significant amendments aimed at deterring unlawful religious conversions, potentially leading to stricter legal repercussions for offenders.
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