Siddaramaiah-led Karnataka government withdraws anti-conversion law

The Siddaramaiah-led government in Karnataka on Thursday decided to repeal the controversial anti-conversion law passed during the previous BJP regime.

The Siddaramaiah-led government in Karnataka on Thursday decided to repeal the controversial anti-conversion law passed during the previous BJP regime. The state government arrived at the decision after the cabinet meeting held today.

The Protection of Right to Freedom of Religion Bill, 2021, or anti-conversion bill was passed in September last year in the Karnataka legislative council. (Getty Images/Representative image)

This comes after the Congress government's hints to review decisions taken under the earlier BJP rule, including one to look into any land allotments made to right-wing groups under their regime and others such as textbook revisions and the hijab ban.

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The Protection of Right to Freedom of Religion Bill, 2021, or anti-conversion bill was passed in September last year in the Karnataka legislative council, when the then opposition Congress had staged a walkout.

The first case under anti-conversion law in the southern state was filed in October, when a 24-year-old Muslim man was arrested and remanded to judicial custody for allegedly converting a woman under the pretext of marrying her. Later in November, the Karnataka Police booked another man under the law for allegedly luring a girl of another religion in the Nagamangala town of Mandya district and harassing her for marriage.

RDPR and IT/BT minister Priyank Kharge had earlier said many orders and laws enforced under the previous BJP regime were “against state interest” and will be revised or withdrawn by the new Congress government.