The UP Prohibition of Unlawful Conversion of Religion (Amendment) Bill 2024, also known as anti-love jihad law, which was introduced on Monday in the House, was passed in the Uttar Pradesh Assembly on Tuesday during the Monsoon Session Proceedings. The amendment hardened the provisions to punish the culprits. The punishment for the already-defined crimes has been increased, now, the convict will face maximum life imprisonment.
What are the provisions in the amendment?
Under the amended provisions, if a person threatens, attacks, marries or promises to marry or conspires for it, or traffics a woman, minor or anyone with the intention of conversion, then his crime will be placed in the most serious category. The amended bill provides for 20-year imprisonment or life imprisonment in such cases.
Earlier, a maximum punishment of 10 years and a fine of Rs 50,000 was provided under it.
Under the amended provision, now any person can register an FIR in conversion cases. Earlier, to give information or complaint in the case, the presence of the victim, parents, siblings was necessary, but now the scope has been increased. Now anyone can give information about it to the police in writing.
It has been proposed that such cases will not be heard by any court below sessions court and along with this, the bail plea will not be considered without giving an opportunity to the public prosecutor. Also, all the crimes in this have been made non-bailable.
An ordinance was issued for this in November 2020 and later, after the bill was passed by both the houses of the Uttar Pradesh Legislature, the Uttar Pradesh Prohibition of Unlawful Conversion of Religion Act-2021 came into force.
Parliamentary Affairs Minister Suresh Khanna introduced the bill in the House on Monday.
However, the Opposition slammed the Uttar Pradesh government over the bill that seeks to amend the Unlawful Conversion of Religion Act, accusing it of trying to divert people's attention through communal politics.
“What else do they have, they are not doing anything new,” Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav told reporters outside Parliament when asked about the bill. They are trying to divert attention of the people through communal politics, he charged.
