The Gujarat Assembly passed an amendment bill which provides for a prison sentence of upto ten years for fraudulent or forcible conversion by marriage.
The bill amended a 2003 law which penalises religious conversion through coercion or allurement.
“The Gujarat Freedom of Religion Act, 2003 seeks to deal with religious conversion through allurement, force or by misrepresentation or by any other fraudulent means.
However, there are episodes of religious conversion promising better lifestyle, divine blessings and impersonation,” as per the government’s statement.
As per the government, the Gujarat Freedom of Religion (Amendment) Bill, 2021 sought to curtail “emerging trend in which women are lured to marriage for the purpose of religious conversion”.
Meanwhile, main opposition Congress voted against the bill.
BJP-ruled Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh recently enacted similar laws banning `fraudulent” conversions through marriage.
As per the amendment, a forcible “conversion by marriage, or by getting a person married, or by aiding a person to get married” shall invite imprisonment of three to five years and a fine of up to Rs 2 lakh.
If the person is a minor, woman, Dalit or tribal, the offender may be punished with a jail term of four to seven years and a fine of not less than Rs 3 lakh.
The BJP government had said it was necessary to prohibit “forcible conversion by marriage” and hence section 3 of the Act needed to be amended.