Rajasthan Anti-Conversion Bill: 10-year jail term, Rs 5 lakh compensation and more
The BJP-led Rajasthan government on Monday cleared a bill to curb religious conversions by force, fraud or inducement. The bill, which introduces stringent measures against unlawful conversions, was a key agenda item in the cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister Bhajan Lal Sharma last month.
State’s Law Minister Jogaram Patel defended the bill and said, “Several instances of religious conversions through inducements or fraud have come to light, necessitating this law.” He emphasised that the law would prevent individuals or institutions from using coercion to alter a person’s faith.
Notably, this is not the state’s first attempt at introducing an anti-conversion law. In 2006, a similar bill was introduced by Vasundhara Raje’s BJP government but failed to receive governor and presidential assent. In 2017, the Rajasthan High Court issued guidelines for interfaith marriages to prevent forced conversions
Penalties under the new Bill
The Prohibition of Unlawful Conversion of Religion Bill prescribes severe penalties for forced conversions, including imprisonment ranging from two to ten years and fines up to Rs 25,000. Conversions involving minors, women or individuals from Scheduled Castes (SC) and Scheduled Tribes (ST) carry harsher penalties, with jail terms between three and ten years and fines of Rs 50,000.
For large-scale conversions, the punishment extends to ten years of imprisonment and a Rs 50,000 fine. Victims of forced conversion will be entitled to a compensation of Rs 5 lakh.
The bill also stipulates procedural requirements for religious conversions. Individuals intending to convert must notify the district collector 60 days in advance. Additionally, a 30-day notice is required for any conversion ceremony and the individual must submit an affidavit confirming the conversion within 60 days post-ceremony. Marriages under duress or inducement are liable to annulment under the law.
Which states have similar bills in place?
Rajasthan joins a growing list of BJP-ruled states, including Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat, that have enacted anti-conversion laws. Karnataka introduced a similar law in 2022. States like Arunachal Pradesh, Odisha, Chhattisgarh, Himachal Pradesh, Jharkhand and Uttarakhand have already implemented similar laws.
According to the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) report, in May 2023, 18 people were arrested in Uttar Pradesh for allegedly offering money to convert individuals to Islam. Moreover, since the implementation of Uttar Pradesh’s anti-conversion law in 2020, the state has led a crackdown on alleged forced conversions, with 835 cases filed and 1,682 individuals arrested as of July 2023.
Notably, in July this year, the Uttar Pradesh Assembly passed an amendment to its anti-conversion law, significantly enhancing the severity of penalties. The revised law now includes the possibility of life imprisonment for offenders and increases the maximum fine to Rs 5 lakh, compared to the earlier provisions of up to 10 years of imprisonment and a Rs 50,000 fine.
The amendment also broadens the scope for filing complaints. Now, any individual can register an FIR in conversion cases, eliminating the previous requirement for the presence of the victim or their immediate family, such as parents or siblings.
Additionally, the amended law mandates that cases be tried only in sessions courts, ensuring they are handled at a higher judicial level. Furthermore, bail applications for the accused will not be considered without providing an opportunity for the public prosecutor to present their views.
In Karnataka, 30 cases were registered and more than 34 people arrested under the anti-conversion law between May 2022 and June 30, 2024, according to an RTI request filed by a news organisation.
Anti-conversion laws have been a contentious issue in India. Following independence, the Indian Parliament attempted to introduce such legislation, including the Indian Conversion (Regulation and Registration) Bill in 1954, the Backward Communities (Religious Protection) Bill in 1960 and the Freedom of Religion Bill in 1979. However, these bills failed to gain political consensus.
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