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Journalism of Courage
After a failed attempt by former Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje to enact an anti-conversion law during her tenure, the state government led by Bhajanlal Sharma tabled the Rajasthan Prohibition of Unlawful Conversion of Religion Bill, 2024, on Monday.
Rajasthan Law and Legal Affairs Minister Jogaram Patel said the proposal to table the Bill was approved by the Cabinet as currently the state does not have a law to prevent forced religious conversions.
In an interview with The Indian Express, Patel spoke about the impact of the law and penalties associated with violating it, among other issues. Excerpts:
Many vulnerable communities in the state like the tribals are not educated and lack awareness. Hence, they are being converted through illegal means. It is important to enforce this (proposed) law to stop the deceitful religious conversion of vulnerable people.
No. This law will not be a hindrance to a person’s free will. Any person above the age of 18 can wilfully convert to any religion after following the due process of law. Article 25 of the Constitution guarantees freedom of religion as a fundamental right. Through this Bill, we are only trying to curb forceful conversions.
*Was the Bill formulated keeping certain communities in mind? What if a Sikh person converts to Jainism? Will it be applicable then?
The Bill does not discriminate between religions. Only those using fraudulent and forceful means to undertake religious conversions, irrespective of their faith, will be charged under the law.
The proposed law has provisions for three kinds of punishments. If the victim is a person belonging to a non-SC/ST community, violators will be liable for one to five years of jail.
If the victim is a woman, minor or belongs to a SC or ST community or if someone is found undertaking mass religious conversions, the jail term can be between three and seven years. There are stricter provisions for habitual offenders.
