The ruling BJP government in Rajasthan has decided to introduce a bill in the upcoming Assembly session to stop religious conversion by force or fraud in the state. A decision in this regard was taken during the cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister Bhajan Lal Sharma on Saturday.
Arunachal Pradesh, Odisha, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Himachal Pradesh, Jharkhand, and Uttarakhand have already implemented similar laws.
“The Rajasthan Prohibition of Unlawful Conversion of Religion Bill-2024 will be tabled in the upcoming session of the Assembly to stop attempts of conversion by inducement or fraud. At present there is no specific law in the state regarding stopping illegal conversion, so its proposal was approved after consideration in the cabinet meeting,” said Law and Legal Affairs Minister Jogaram Patel.
He said that after this bill becomes a law, no person or institution will be able to convert a person by using misrepresentation, fraud, force, undue influence etc. If any person or institution carries out such an act, they will be severely punished.
“If someone marries with the intention of converting a person’s religion against the law, then the family court can declare such marriage invalid. In this law, the crime will be non-bailable and cognizable. In several other states, laws already exist to prevent forced conversion and Rajasthan will also follow their footsteps,” said Patel.
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