Weeks after the Uttar Pradesh Prohibition of Unlawful Conversion of Religious Ordinance was passed by the state cabinet, Chief Minister (CM) Yogi Adityanath has said that the ordinance was passed after several women complained about forced conversion and harassment.
"The ordinance was passed as a lot of cases were registered recently where women complained about how they were being forced to change their religion and how, on refusing to convert, they were being harassed," The Economic Times quoted the CM saying.
The situation had to be dealt with to protect the interest of women and minors by 'giving them the right to complaint against deceit and harassment', he added.
The Adityanath-led government's new law against forced religious conversions or 'Love Jihad' came into effect across the state on November 28.
According to the law, conversion from one religion to another by “misrepresentation, force, fraud, undue influence, coercion, allurement or marriage” stands prohibited and any marriage with the sole intention of changing the girl’s religion will be declared null and void.
The law makes forceful conversions, including through marriage, punishable with a jail term of 1-5 years and a fine of Rs 15,000.
In cases where the woman is a minor or from Scheduled Caste or Scheduled Tribe, the jail term is more stringent, with it being a punishable offense with between 3-10 years in jail and fine of Rs 25,000.
For mass conversions, the law punishes with a jail term of 3-10 years and a fine of Rs 50,000 on the organizations involved.
However, anyone who willingly wants to convert the religion after marriage will have to submit an application to the local district magistrate, two months in advance.
Earlier, interfaith couples, marrying under the Special Marriage Act, had to give one-month advance notice.
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