The UP Legislative Assembly passed a law imposing life imprisonment for cases of “forced conversions and love jihad.” This new legislation aims to address concerns over coerced religious conversions under the guise of marriage.
Uttar Pradesh: The Uttar Pradesh Legislative Assembly, under the leadership of the Yogi Adityanath government, approved the “Uttar Pradesh Prohibition of Unlawful Conversion of Religion (Amendment) Bill 2024.”
This new law significantly raises the penalties for forced religious conversions and activities often termed as ‘love jihad.’ The legislation now mandates life imprisonment for specific offenses, representing a substantial escalation from the earlier penalties.
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The bill introduced by Parliamentary Affairs Minister Suresh Khanna, who highlighted the need for amendments due to the sensitive issue of religious conversions. The government argues that such conversions often involve foreign and anti-national elements attempting to change the region’s demographic composition. Initially enacted in 2021, the law has now been significantly strengthened to address these concerns more effectively.
Under the new provisions, kidnapping a minor girl for the purpose of ‘love jihad,’ selling her, or trafficking minors or women for conversion will result in a minimum sentence of 20 years, potentially extending to life imprisonment.
Additionally, the law imposes severe penalties for conversions achieved through deceit, coercion, or inducement, including marriages intended for religious conversion.
The revised penalties include imprisonment of three to ten years and a fine of 25,000 Indian Rupees for fraudulent conversions, an increase from the previous penalties of 15,000 Rupees and one to five years of imprisonment. Illegal mass conversions now carry sentences of seven to fourteen years in prison and fines up to one lakh Rupees.
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Furthermore, if the offense involves a minor, a woman, or an individual from a Scheduled Caste or Scheduled Tribe, the penalty ranges from five to fourteen years of rigorous imprisonment, along with fines up to one lakh Rupees.
The law also criminalizes receiving foreign funding for conversions, with penalties including imprisonment of seven to fourteen years and fines up to ten lakh Rupees. The amendments classify all related offenses as non-bailable, and cases will only be triable in sessions courts, ensuring a higher level of judicial scrutiny.
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