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.

Updated on: Jun 15, 2023, 16:25:02 IST

By Yamini C S

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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.

READ | Schools, colleges mandated to read Preamble along with regular prayers, says Karnataka minister HK Patil

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.

READ | Karnataka legislative council passes anti-conversion bill after Congress walkout

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said many orders and laws enforced under the previous BJP regime were “against state interest” and will be revised or withdrawn by the new Congress government.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Yamini C S
Yamini CS is a Senior Content Producer at Hindustan Times with nearly six years of experience in digital journalism. She is part of the India News desk, where she works on a wide range of stories cutting across civic issues, city-based developments, politics, governance, public policy, breaking news, trending topics, and international affairs that have an impact on India. Her role involves tracking fast-moving developments, verifying information from official and on-ground sources, and presenting news in a clear, accessible format for a digital-first audience. A significant part of her work includes handling live blogs during major news events, such as elections, court verdicts, political developments, civic disruptions, protests, weather-related alerts, and unfolding national or international incidents. Through live coverage, she focuses on timely updates to help readers follow complex stories as they evolve. Before moving to the broader India News desk, Yamini was associated with the Bengaluru desk at Hindustan Times, where she extensively covered urban governance, infrastructure, traffic and transport issues, weather events, public grievances, and civic administration in the city. This experience strengthened her grounding in city reporting and sharpened her focus on citizen-centric journalism. She began her career as a correspondent with Reuters after completing a postgraduate diploma in journalism from the Indian Institute of Journalism and New Media. Her early training instilled a strong emphasis on accuracy, sourcing, and news ethics, which continue to shape her reporting style. Outside of work, Yamini enjoys reading across genres, listening to music, and spending time with her family, which help her maintain balance in a fast-paced newsroom environment.Read More

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