Gujarat Assembly Passes 'Love Jihad' Bill, Penalising "Unlawful" Conversions

Gujarat Assembly passed the 'Love Jihad' bill that amends the Freedom of Religion Act and penalises the act of forceful conversion of the religion of women on the pretext of marriage.

The bill that amends the 2003 Freedom of Religion Act seeks to curb the "emerging trend in which women are lured to marriage for the purpose of religious conversion" as per its "statement of object," has been passed in Gujarat Assembly.

Gujarat has joined the list of the handful of states that have amended the Freedom of Religion (Dharma Swatantrya) Act of 2003.  The laws are in force in eight states: Odisha, Arunachal Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, Jharkhand, Himachal Pradesh, and Uttarakhand. According to the reports, the laws in each state have little variation and are mostly very similar in terms of content and structure,

The 'Love Jihad' act penalises the religious conversions forced onto individuals after getting married. The Bill makes the offence punishable for 3-10 years in jail along with a fine of up to Rs 5 lakh if the accused is found guilty. If a woman, referred to as a "victim", is a minor, tribal or Dalit, then the offenders may be punished with 4-7 years of jail term and a fine of over Rs 3 lakh.

Gujarat Home Minister Pradipsinh Jadeja said to India Today, "We’re going to make amendments to Gujarat Freedom of Religion Act, 2003. "

"Today, we’re going to present a law before the state assembly, that will stop people from luring Hindu girls into marriage with the intention of religious conversion," Jadeja added.

A Love Jihad case of Harayana

Despite pushback from the woman’s family and amidst a growing atmosphere of fear surrounding religious conversions involving marriages in Haryana, a 21-year-old man changed his name to marry the 19-year-old woman. The couple has been given police protection.