Himachal assembly passes Bill against forced mass conversion
The Bill was passed with a voice vote even though the opposition members demanded the government to refer it to a select committee
The Himachal Pradesh assembly on Saturday passed the Himachal Pradesh Freedom of Religion (Amendment) Bill, 2022, forbidding “mass conversion” and enhancing maximum punishment up to 10 years.
The Virbhadra Singh-led-Congress government was among the first states to pass the anticonversion Bill in 2006. The Bill was passed with a voice vote even though the opposition members demanded the government to refer the Bill to a select committee. The Bill inserts the reference to “mass conversion”, which is described as two or more people converting at the same time, in the 2019 Act and proposes to increase the punishment for forced conversions to a maximum of 10 years from seven years. Chief minister Jai Ram Thakur tabled the Bill on Friday in the Vidhan Sabha.
The CM while participating sought the passage of the Bill. He said the Bill has been brought to curb mass conversion. He gave examples of mass conversion in Rohru Rampur and Banjar in Himachal.
The Himachal Pradesh Freedom of Religion Act, 2019, was enacted with a view to providing freedom of religion by the prohibition of conversion from one religion to another by misrepresenting force, undue influence, coercion, inducement or any fraudulent means or by marriage and for matters connected therewith. However, in the said Act, there was no provision to curb mass conversion
While participating in the discussion Congress legislators Sukhwinder Singh Sukhu, Jagat Singh Negi and CPI(M) MLA Rakesh Singha demanded the government to refer the Bill to a select committee. Sukhu demanded an amendment in Section 7 of the Bill while Negi claimed that the Bill has been brought to derive political mileage ahead of the elections.
The 2019 Act was notified on December 21, 2020, 15 months after it was passed in the state assembly. The 2019 version had in turn replaced a 2006 law, which prescribed lesser punishments. As per the amendment of Section 2 of the principal Act, now the clause (fa) has been added that says that mass conversion means a conversion where two or more than two persons are converted at the same time. Amendment of Section 4 given in the Bill states that if a person marries someone by concealing his religion in such a manner that another person believes that his religion is truly the one professed by him shall be punished with a minimum imprisonment of not less than three years and maximum imprisonment of 10 years, and shall also be liable to fine which shall not be less than Rs 50,000, but which may extend to Rs 1 lakh. It has also been proposed that whosoever contravenes the provisions of Section 3 in respect of mass conversion shall be punished with imprisonment for a term, which shall not be less than five years, but which may extend to 10 years, and shall also be liable to fine which shall not be less than Rs one lakh, but which may extend to Rs 1.50 lakh. In case of a second or subsequent offense mentioned in this Section is committed, the term of imprisonment shall not be less than seven years, but may extend to 10 years and shall also be liable to a fine which shall not be less than Rs 1.50 lakh and which may extend to Rs 2 lakh.
The ruling BJP has been a vocal supporter of anti-conversion laws and many BJP-ruled states have introduced similar measures. The move comes ahead of the assembly election in the hill state later this year.
Assembly passes 9 Bills
The Himachal Pradesh assembly on Saturday passed nine Bills at once. The Bills are the Himachal Pradesh Freedom of Religion Amendment Bill, 2022, the Himachal Pradesh Municipal Corporation Second Amendment Bill, 2022, the Himachal Pradesh Municipality Amendment Bill, 2022, the Himachal Pradesh Town and Country Planning Amendment Bill, 2022, the Himachal Pradesh Ground Water Development and Management Regulation and Control Amendment Bill, 2022, the Himachal Pradesh Tenancy and Land Reforms Act Amendment Bill, 2022, the Himachal Pradesh Court Amendment Bill, 2022, the Himachal Pradesh Fiscal Responsibility and Budget Management Amendment Bill, 2022, and the Himachal Pradesh Payment of Income Tax on Certain Categories of Salaries and Allowances Bill, 2022.
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