In the Bharatiya Janata Party government in Gujarat (Gujarat), Chief Minister Vijay Rupani has proposed an amendment to the Gujarat Religious Freedom Act, 2003 (Religious Freedom Act). Under this, more stringent punishment has been proposed against forcible conversion through marriage. Under the new law, the penalty will be a punishment of 3 to 10 years. There is already a law against ‘Love Jihad’ in Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Uttarakhand. After the passing of this resolution in the assembly, Gujarat will also be included in the list of states that make stricter laws against Love Jihad. This bill was introduced in the Gujarat Legislative Assembly on Tuesday.
In the new ‘Love Jihad’ Act, forcible conversion of women will be imposed with five years in jail and a fine of Rs 2 lakh. In case of conversion of a minor girl, the sentence will be seven years in jail and a fine of up to 3 lakh rupees.
Bill can be introduced in the budget session
With this, SC and ST women can also be imprisoned for seven years for conversion. The bill is likely to be introduced in the current budget session of the Gujarat Legislative Assembly. An amendment to the Freedom of Religion Bill, 2021 will be introduced in the ongoing budget session with some changes to deal with ‘Love Jihad’ or forced conversions.