Gujarat govt notice requires Hindus to seek permission for converting to Buddhism

The directive released by the state home department on April 8 aims to address concerns regarding the handling of conversion applications

Published on: Apr 11, 2024, 11:04:50 IST

By Maulik Pathak

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Ahmedabad: The Gujarat government, which issued a circular earlier this week designating Buddhism as a distinct religion has ruled, under the Gujarat Freedom of Religion Act, 2003, that conversions from Hinduism to Buddhism, Jainism, and Sikhism will now necessitate prior approval from respective district magistrates.

The Gujarat legislative assembly building. (File photo.)

This directive, released by the state home department on April 8, aims to address concerns regarding the handling of conversion applications.

Highlighting discrepancies in the interpretation of the Gujarat Freedom of Religion Act by district magistrate offices, the circular underscored the necessity of adhering to prescribed procedures for conversion applications. It acknowledged instances where applicants and autonomous bodies contesting the need for prior permission for conversions from Hinduism to Buddhism.

Also Read: Legally Speaking | Are laws that prevent forced conversions really about freedom to practise religion?

The circular warned against potential legal challenges stemming from inadequate understanding of legal provisions surrounding religious conversions. It underscored the need for a thorough examination of the legal framework by district magistrates when evaluating conversion applications.

“”We’ve observed a lapse in adhering to the prescribed procedure for applications seeking permission for Hinduism to Buddhism conversions. Furthermore, we’ve received feedback from applicants and autonomous bodies suggesting that prior permission is unnecessary for such religious conversions,” the notification said.

Emphasising the separate status of Buddhism under the Act, the circular mandated that those facilitating conversions must obtain prior permission from the district magistrate. Additionally, individuals undergoing conversion are required to inform the district magistrate accordingly.

District magistrates are instructed to meticulously review conversion applications in accordance with legal provisions and state government directives. This move seeks to streamline the process and ensure consistency in the handling of religious conversion applications across Gujarat.

Also Read: Chhattisgarh’s previous brush with anti-conversion bill

The relevant Act was introduced by the government with the aim of curbing religious conversions achieved through methods such as allurement, coercion, misrepresentation, or any other fraudulent means. In an amendment introduced in 2021, the Act was revised to explicitly prohibit forced religious conversions through marriage.

The Act includes stringent penalties, with offenders facing a maximum sentence of up to 10 years in prison and fines reaching up to ₹5 lakh. Notably, the burden of proof rests on the accused, and investigations into such matters are to be conducted by officers holding the rank of deputy superintendent of police or higher. However, the amended Act has faced legal challenges, with its validity currently being contested before the Gujarat High Court.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Maulik Pathak
He is an Ahmedabad-based journalist with more than two decades of experience. His career spans business journalism and general news, with reporting across politics, crime, governance, public policy, business, industry, infrastructure, energy, ports, aviation, the environment, wildlife and social issues. He began his career in feature writing before moving into business journalism, reporting on companies and sectors including energy, infrastructure, pharmaceuticals, automobiles and real estate. Over the years, his work expanded to politics, courts, crime, public policy, civic affairs, the environment and wildlife. His reporting has taken him from government offices and courtrooms to factory floors, ports, forests and remote villages, covering stories that range from industrial investments and financial markets to elections, conservation and issues affecting everyday life. While many assignments demand the pace of the daily news cycle, others require sustained reporting over months and years to follow developments beyond the headlines. He started his journalism career with the Asian Age in Ahmedabad in 2002 as a feature writer and sub-editor. Since 2022, he has been working with Hindustan Times. Earlier, he worked with Business Standard, DNA, The Economic Times, Mint and The Times of India. His longest stint was with Mint, where he spent more than eight years reporting across multiple beats. During his career, he has worked in both reporting and editing roles, contributing to page planning, local editions and special editorial projects as newsrooms evolved from print-first operations to digital publishing. Early in his career, he also worked on media and documentary projects with an NGO and as a copywriter at a communications agency before returning to journalism. Away from work, he sometimes makes time for a pair of binoculars, table tennis, cinema and the occasional poem.Read More

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