‘Love Jihad’ordinance passed by Yogi Government in UP, jail upto 10 years for violators
The Uttar Pradesh government on Tuesday brought an ordinance against unlawful religious conversions. The decision was taken at a cabinet meeting, minister Siddharth Nath Singh said on Tuesday.
The UP prohibition of unlawful religious conversion ordinance 2020 makes provision for declaring a marriage null and void if the marriage is solemnised for the primary purpose of converting a woman from one religion to other.
What the ordinance mandates:
Minimum 1-year till 5-year punishment or Rs 15,000 fine. (In normal cases)
Minimum 3-year punishment and maximum till 10 years and fine of Rs 25,000 (if the girl is a minor or from the SC/ ST community)
Minimum 3 to 10 years punishment and Rs 50,000 fine. (In case of Mass religious conversion)
The UP State Law Commission had prepared a report on forced and unlawful conversions in the state which is how the matter has been framed legislatively. The UP Law Commission had submitted a draft ‘Uttar Pradesh Freedom of Religion Act 2019’ to the government last year, which included a provision saying that religious conversion done only for the purpose of marriage would be illegal.
Earlier in the day, the Allahabad High Court on Monday struck down two earlier judgements, which held that religious conversion “just for the purpose of marriage” was unacceptable, saying that the right to live with a person of choice, irrespective of religion, is intrinsic to right to life and personal liberty.
