Rajasthan govt to introduce bill against forceful religious conversions

Patel said the bill proposes that if someone wants to convert to another religion, the person will have to give an application to the district magistrate 60 days in advance

Rajasthan is set to become the latest BJP-ruled state to enact an anti-conversion law. A bill to stop forcible religious conversions in the state was approved by the state Cabinet on Saturday and will be introduced in the upcoming Assembly session.

 

The Rajasthan Prohibition of Unlawful Conversion of Religion Bill 2024 has provision for jail terms of up to 10 years for various violations, and the "crimes would be non-bailable", Parliamentary Affairs Minister Jogaram Patel said.

 

It proposes that if someone wants to convert to another religion, the person will have to give an application to the district magistrate 60 days in advance.

 

"The district magistrate will examine whether or not it is a forcible conversion," he said, adding if it is found that the conversion is not forced or under any temptation, then the applicant will be allowed to go ahead with it.

 

BJP-ruled Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh and Uttarakhand have already brought in strict anti-conversion laws. Himachal Pradesh too made its law against conversion more stringent in 2022 when the BJP was in power.

 

Talking to reporters after the meeting, Patel said, "The government has decided to bring a bill in the upcoming assembly session to stop forcible religious conversion in the state. The bill has provisions of punishment in different categories, from one year to 10 years, with penalties for forceful conversion of an individual or in groups."

 

He said after this bill becomes a law, no person or institution will be able to convert a person by using misrepresentation, fraud, force or undue influence.

 

"If any person or institution does such an act, they will be given severe punishment. In this law, the crimes will be non-bailable and cognizable," the parliamentary affairs minister said.

 

He said the bill was drafted after studying laws that already exist in many other states.

 

Approval of nine new policies to accelerate the industrial and economic development, formation of the 7th State Finance Commission, bringing ordinance for the formation of development authorities in Bikaner and Bharatpur, and amendment in Rajasthan Civil Services (Revised Pay) Rules-2017 were also approved.

 

"Bharatpur Development Authority Ordinance-2024 and Bikaner Development Authority Ordinance-2024 will be brought for their formation. By forming development authorities in these cities, development will be done in a systematic and planned manner," Deputy Chief Minister Prem Chand Bairwa said.