News Brief
Chhattisgarh Gears Up For Stringent Law Against Illegal Religious Conversions: Here's All You Need To Know About The Proposed Bill
Kuldeep Negi
Feb 18, 2024, 11:13 AM | Updated 11:12 AM IST
Save & read from anywhere!
Bookmark stories for easy access on any device or the Swarajya app.
A proposed bill in the Chhattisgarh Assembly aims to regulate religious conversions by requiring individuals seeking to convert to another religion to fill out a form with personal details at least 60 days prior and submit it to the District Magistrate.
The District Magistrate will then ask the police to assess the individual's "real intention, reason, and purpose."
Amendments to the draft of the Bill may occur before its final presentation in the Vidhan Sabha, Indian Express reported citing sources.
Similarly, those conducting conversion ceremonies will need to fill out a form at least one month in advance.
The draft also states that conversions “cannot be done from one religion to another by the use or practice of abuse, force, undue influence, coercion, inducement or by any fraudulent means or by marriage".
Any conversion found to involve such practices will be deemed illegal by the District Magistrate.
Additionally, the “Chhattisgarh Prohibition of Unlawful Religious Conversion Bill" states that after conversion, individuals will have to submit another declaration form within 60 days and appear before the District Magistrate for verification; failure to do so renders the conversion illegal.
The DM will display a copy of the declaration on the notice board of his office until the date of confirmation, it added.
A registry of conversions will be maintained by the District Magistrate, and objections can lead to a non-bailable FIR filed by blood or adopted relatives, with trials held in a sessions court.
Illegal conversions involving minors, women, or members of Scheduled Castes or Tribes carry penalties of two to ten years in jail and a minimum fine of Rs 25,000.
Mass conversions incur stricter penalties, with a minimum of three years and a maximum of ten years in jail, with a fine of Rs 50,000.
The court may also approve compensation of up to Rs 5 lakh to the victim of religious conversion.
The draft bill states that the burden of proof that a conversion was not illegal will be on the person who conducted the rituals.
The law does not apply to those who want to re-convert to their previous religion.
Save & read from anywhere!
Bookmark stories for easy access on any device or the Swarajya app.
Kuldeep is Senior Editor (Newsroom) at Swarajya. He tweets at @kaydnegi.
Support Swarajya's 50 Ground Reports Project & Sponsor A Story
Every general election Swarajya does a 50 ground reports project.
Aimed only at serious readers and those who appreciate the nuances of political undercurrents, the project provides a sense of India's electoral landscape. As you know, these reports are produced after considerable investment of travel, time and effort on the ground.
This time too we've kicked off the project in style and have covered over 30 constituencies already. If you're someone who appreciates such work and have enjoyed our coverage please consider sponsoring a ground report for just Rs 2999 to Rs 19,999 - it goes a long way in helping us produce more quality reportage.
You can also back this project by becoming a subscriber for as little as Rs 999 - so do click on this links and choose a plan that suits you and back us.
Click below to contribute.