Uttar Pradesh government under Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has moved to make significant changes in the love jihad law. The Yogi government has introduced the Uttar Pradesh Unlawful Religious Conversion Prohibition Bill 2024 in the assembly, proposing a lifetime imprisonment for the convicts. The bill also proposes to make funding for unlawful religious conversions a crime under this law.
The Uttar Pradesh’s Prohibition of Unlawful Conversion of Religion Act, 2021 had provisions for sentences ranging from 1 to 10 years. Under this act, conversions solely for the purpose of marriage is deemed invalid. Conversions carried out through deceit or falsehood is also considered criminal offenses. For voluntary conversions, individuals must inform the magistrate two months in advance.
According to the Act, forced or deceitful conversions will result in a jail term of 1 to 5 years along with a fine of Rs 15,000. If such actions involve minors, women, or members of the SC-ST community, the penalty increases to a jail term of 3 to 10 years and a fine of Rs 25,000. The Act also stipulates that individuals seeking to convert must notify the district magistrate using a prescribed form two months in advance. Failure to comply will result in a jail term of 6 months to 3 years and a minimum fine of Rs 10,000.
The love jihad and religious conversion have been a hot topic in Uttar Pradesh and other BJP-ruled states.