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Uttarakhand governor gives approval for stringent law against conversion
The Uttarakhand assembly on November 30 had passed the law that defines religious conversion of two or more people as “mass conversion”.
Uttarakhand governor Gurmit Singh has approved the Freedom of Religion (Amendment) Bill, 2022, making unlawful conversions a cognizable and non-bailable offence in the state that is punishable with a prison term of up to 10 years, a government official said.
The Uttarakhand assembly on November 30 had passed the law that defines religious conversion of two or more people as “mass conversion”.
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“The governor earlier this week gave his consent to the anti-conversion amendment bill passed by the Uttarakhand assembly on November 30,” the official said, wishing to remain unnamed. “With the governor’s approval, the bill has become an Act and it has paved the way for stricter punishments of up to 10 years of jail for convicts in such cases.”
According to a new clause inserted in section 2 of the law, a “mass conversion” refers to a case where the “religion of two or more persons is converted” and “unlawful conversion” means “any conversion not in accordance with the law of the land”. The clause provides for jail of up to 10 years and a fine of up to ₹50,000.
The amendments also provide for prison term of up to 10 years for those convicted of converting a woman, minor or members of the scheduled caste or tribe communities. It proposes a fine of up to ₹25,000 for the offences.
On November 16, the Uttarakhand cabinet chaired by chief minister Pushkar Singh Dhami had approved the amendments to the anti-conversion law. It came after Uttarakhand police submitted its report on proposals to strengthen the state anti-conversion law – based on the lines of neighbouring Uttar Pradesh – on the instructions of the state government.
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On November 18, Dhami had termed religious conversion for the state as nasoor (canker), explaining why his government has decided to introduce stricter provisions in the anti-conversion law.
