UP Makes MAJOR Changes In Anti-Conversion Law; Life Imprisonment, Easy FIRs And More – Details Inside

The Uttar Pradesh Prohibition of Unlawful Conversion of Religion (Amendment) Bill, 2024 was passed in the state Assembly on Tuesday, making the anti-conversion law stricter in cases of fraudulent or forced conversion.

The Uttar Pradesh government has  further strengthened the state’s anti-conversion law, adding stricter punishments, including providing provisions for handing out a life sentence as maximum punishment in some cases.

The UP Prohibition of Unlawful Conversion of Religion (Amendment) Bill, 2024 was passed in the state Assembly on Tuesday, making the anti-conversion law stricter in cases of fraudulent or forced conversion.

The amendment adds life imprisonment as the maximum sentence under the law which was earlier restricted to 10 years and a fine of Rs 50,000 for those found guilty of marrying a woman by deceiving her and converting her religion.

On Monday, Uttar Pradesh Prohibition of Unlawful Conversion of Religion (Amendment) Bill, 2024 was introduced in the House by the state’s Parliamentary Affairs Minister Suresh Khanna

Under the new amendment, it has been proposed that if a person threatens, attacks, marries or promises to marry or conspires for it, or trafficks a woman, minor or anyone with the intention of conversion, then the crime will be placed in the most serious category, and there is a provision of 20 years imprisonment or life imprisonment in such cases.

The amended provisions now enable any person to file a complaint in conversion cases, compared to earlier when the presence of the victim, her parents, or siblings was mandatory to file a case or provide information in such cases.

The amendment also proposes that cases under the anti-conversion law will not be heard by any court below the Sessions Court and along with this, the bail plea will not be considered without giving an opportunity to the public prosecutor.

Also, all the crimes under the amended Act have been made non-bailable.

Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath had taken this initiative with the intention of curbing ‘love jihad’, a term coined by some Hindu outfits for alleged forcible conversion.

An ordinance was issued for curbing forced conversion in November 2020 and later, after the bill was passed by both the houses of the Uttar Pradesh Legislature, the Uttar Pradesh Prohibition of Unlawful Conversion of Religion Act-2021 came into force.

(With PTI inputs)