Gandhinagar: The Gujarat Assembly has handed a Bill to amend the ‘Dharma Swatantrya’ (Freedom of Religion) Act, 2003 which goals to fight forceful religious conversions, higher often known as `Love Jihad`, on the concluding day of the continuing Budget session on Thursday.
However, the opposition Congress questioned its intentions and dubbed the bill as a device to attain political mileage and create a religious divide.
Tabled by the ruling BJP, the modification seeks to prohibit and punish religious conversion promising a greater way of life, divine blessings and impersonation on the pretext of marriage. The Bill was tabled in the state Assembly by Legislative Affairs Minister Pradeepsinh Jadeja.
The Gujarat Freedom of Religion Act, 2003 sought to take care of religious conversion via allurement, pressure or by misrepresentation or by every other fraudulent means. However, the state authorities felt that there have been episodes of religious conversion promising a greater way of life, divine blessings and impersonation.
“The state government feels that there is an emerging trend where women are lured to marriage for the purpose of religious conversion,” cited the BJP authorities as the explanation to carry in this modification.
While talking on the Bill, Pradeepsinh Jadeja quoted information and figures and information associated to many states like Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, Uttarakhand and Uttar Pradesh, however the minister didn’t disclose any figures concerning incidents of such sort of marriages and forceful religious conversions in Gujarat.
“By bringing in this new amendment Bill, the state government is admitting that the 2003 `Dharma Swatantrya` (Freedom of Religion) Act has proven meaningless and even after 17 years of framing that law, you (BJP) have to bring this Bill. There is not a single mention of `Love Jihad` in this Bill,” mentioned Leader of Opposition Paresh Dhanani.
“IPC Sections 406, 417 and 419 are already in effect which address these issues intended to be covered by this new Bill. Despite such clauses, the Gujarat government could not curb such crimes in the state, which is an indirect admission by the Home Minister,” added Dhanani.
“Don`t politicise this issue of religion. We once again say that hang those who are fraudulently marrying. Attempts should be made to bring together all religions and not create a divide,” mentioned Gyasuddin Sheikh, the Congress MLA from Dariyapur.
“We have not said that the victims belong to any specific religion anywhere in the Bill. It is our responsibility to safeguard the interests of the daughters of the state, but the opposition Congress has made this issue as an issue of life and death. I guarantee that anybody in the state will endorse this Bill,” mentioned Deputy CM Nitin Patel.
According to the provisions of the Bill, whoever is discovered to be finishing up such religious conversion by marriage, or getting an individual married or by aiding an individual to get married shall be punished with imprisonment of not lower than three years and up to 5 years and also will be liable to pay a high-quality of Rs 2 lakh.
If the wedding is in respect of a minor, a girl or an individual from SC or ST neighborhood, the punishment shall be of imprisonment of a minimal of 4 years to a most of seven years and high-quality of Rs 3 lakh.
Further, any such marriage carried out for the aim of illegal conversion by the individual of 1 faith with the individual of one other faith, both by changing himself or herself earlier than or after marriage, shall be declared void by the household courtroom or every other related courtroom.
The provisions of the proposed modification additional state that if any establishment or organisation is discovered to be in cost of or liable for such marriage, it shall be punished with imprisonment of minimal three years and up to 10 years and a high-quality of up to Rs 5 lakh.
Moreover, the provisions say that the burden to show {that a} religious conversion was not affected via misrepresentation, pressure, undue affect, coercion, allurement or every other fraudulent means shall lie on the accused and his or her facilitators.
The offence of such religious conversion via marriage shall be thought of cognisable and non-bailable and shall be investigated by an official above the rank of a Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP).
২৪X৭ নিউজ বেঙ্গল এ সবার আগে পড়ুন ব্রেকিং নিউজ। থাকছে দৈনিক টাটকা খবর, খবরের লাইভ আপডেট। সবচেয়ে ভরসাযোগ্য বাংলা এবং ইংলিশ খবর পড়ুন ২৪X৭ নিউজ বেঙ্গল এর ওয়েবসাইটে। নিয়মিত খবরে থাকতে লাইক করুন ফেসবুকে ও ফলো করুন টুইটারে।
‘রঙ’ ছাড়া সংবাদ খুঁজে পাওয়া কঠিন। কোন খবরটা ‘খাচ্ছে’? সেটাই কি শেষ কথা? নাকি আসল সত্যিটার নাম ‘সংবাদ’! ‘ব্রেকিং’ আর প্রাইম টাইমের পিছনে দৌড়তে গিয়ে দেওয়ালে পিঠ ঠেকেছে সত্যিকারের সাংবাদিকতার। অর্থ আর চোখ রাঙানিতে হাত বাঁধা সাংবাদিকদের। কিন্তু, গণতন্ত্রের চতুর্থ স্তম্ভে ‘রঙ’ লাগানোয় বিশ্বাসী নই আমরা। আর মৃত্যুশয্যা থেকে ফিরিয়ে আনতে পারেন আপনারাই। সোশ্যালের ওয়াল জুড়ে বিনামূল্যে পাওয়া খবরে ‘ফেক’ তকমা জুড়ে যাচ্ছে না তো? আসলে পৃথিবীতে কোনও কিছুই ‘ফ্রি’ নয়। তাই, আপনার দেওয়া একটি টাকাও অক্সিজেন জোগাতে পারে। স্বতন্ত্র সাংবাদিকতার স্বার্থে আপনার স্বল্প অনুদানও মূল্যবান। পাশে থাকুন।
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