UP anti-conversion law: All for religious freedom; law punishes forced conversions driven by greed: Yogi Adityanath

UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath (File Photo)

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath said on February 5 that people are free to follow any religion of their choice, but it should not be induced by greed or any monetary benefit.

Responding to queries on why the Prohibition of Unlawful Religious Conversions Act has been implemented in the state, the Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister said: “Religious demography is a reality and we have to accept it. If this is not a reality, the counYogi try would not have been partitioned in 1947. However, every individual has the right to religious freedom, but that choice should not be guided by baser instincts such as greed.”

The Adityanath-led government's new law against forced religious conversions or 'Love Jihad' came into effect in November 2020.

Also read: Explained | Yogi Adityanath's new law against 'Love Jihad'

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 one to five years and a fine of Rs 15,000.

Also read: Uttar Pradesh registers first case under anti-conversion law in Bareilly district

In cases where the woman is a minor or from a scheduled caste or scheduled tribe, the jail term is more stringent, with it being a punishable offense with three to 10 years of imprisonment along with a fine of Rs 25,000.

For mass conversions, the law punishes perpetrators with a jail term of three to 10 years and a fine of Rs 50,000 on the organisations involved.

Certain provisions of the law that regulate religious conversions in interfaith marriages were challenged before the Supreme Court. The Jamiat Ulama-I-Hind has also moved the Supreme Court challenging the anti-conversion laws of Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, Uttarakhand, and Himachal Pradesh. It has contended that these laws have been enacted to "harass” interfaith couples and implicate them in criminal cases.

The matter is likely to be heard by a Bench led by CJI Chandrachud in the coming week.