After UP, MP cabinet clears ‘anti-love jihad’ bill, will invite jail term upto 10 years

The Madhya Pradesh government on Saturday approved a Bill aimed to prevent forceful conversions for inter-faith marriages, ANI reported.

Under the MP Freedom of Religion Bill 2020, forcing religious conversion will lead to one to five years of imprisonment and a fine of Rs 25,000, said Madhya Pradesh Home Minister Narottam Mishra. Forced conversion of a minor, woman or a person from Scheduled Caste or Scheduled Tribe, would draw a minimum jail term of two to 10 years with a minimum penalty of Rs 50,000.

After the approval by the cabinet, the bill will now be presented in the Madhya Pradesh Assembly for final passage.

Any marriage solemnized only for the purpose of converting a person will be considered null and void under the provisions of this proposed legislation, he said.

A provision is also being made that those willing to convert need to apply before the district administration two months prior, Mishra said.

Under the proposed law, no person in Madhya Pradesh will be able to convert anyone directly or otherwise through marriage or by any other fraudulent means by luring or intimidating anyone, officials have said, quoting the chief minister.

“This bill will replace the Religious Freedom Act of 1968 (after the approval by the state Assembly),” Mishra said.

A person involved in converting another person by misleading, luring, threatening or through marriage will be prosecuted.

A provision is also being made that those willing to convert need to apply before the district administration two months prior, Mishra said.