Ahead of the three-day Assembly session beginning on December 28, the Madhya Pradesh cabinet approved the draft of Deputy Freedom of Religion Bill, 2020 at a special meeting chaired by Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Saturday. Under the proposed law, forcing someone to convert their religion will carry up to 5 years in prison and a minimum fine of Rs 25,000.
Chouhan said: “We will not allow forced conversions in Madhya Pradesh. Under the new bill, anyone who does so will face a jail term of up to 10 years and a minimum fine of Rs 50,000. Many incidents came to light where minor girls were converted, married and forced to contest the Panchayat polls. “
Addressing the media, Interior Minister Narottam Mishra said that in the event of forced conversion of a minor, the jail term will be up to ten years. “Under the new MP 2020 Freedom of Religion Bill, the forced conversion of a minor, a woman or a person from Caste or Scheduled Tribe, would bring a jail sentence of up to 10 years with a minimum fine of 50,000 rupees” said Mishra.
Mishra also said that in case of group conversions, the jail term will be up to 10 years with a fine of 1 lakh rupees. “The MP law is the strictest in the country,” Mishra added.
The new law will replace the current MP Dharma Swatantrya Adhiniyam law, 1968. The BJP government argues that the 1968 law is outdated and is being reworked in light of the experience of the last 50 years in the state regarding forced conversions, with improved definitions and higher penalties to prohibit such crimes, in particular forced religious conversions on the pretext of marriage.
However, unlike the Ordinance banning illegal religious conversion in Uttar PradeshAccording to the law of the Public Ministry, a person who converts of his own free will does not have to inform the district judge. However, in case a person approaches a priest for such a conversion, the priest in question must inform the district administration.
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