'Love jihad': Yogi Adityanath cabinet to meet today; law against forced religious conversion may be passed

24-Nov-2020

As the debate over 'love jihad' continues to rock several states, the Uttar Pradesh Cabinet headed by Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath is expected to meet on Tuesday and pass the ordinance on forced religious conversion, which has been named Vidhi Virudh Dharmantaran 2020, sources told Times Now. In the Bill, there is a provision of 5 years to 10-year jail-term of a person is convicted in such a case. Aamir Haq said that the Uttar Pradesh Law Commission submitted a draft for the proposed law in November 2019. It was under the consideration of the home and law ministry over the last year. The BJP government last week had given its consent to the draft of the new law. The cabinet meeting which is expected to be held today is most likely to give its nod to the proposed draft. The Bill is considered to be an anti-conversion law and it will stop individuals from converting people to other faiths by enticing or threatening. Justice Aditya Mittal, chairman of the UP law commission, spoke exclusively to Times Now. He said: �I have not used the word love jihad in the draft bill and I hope the government is also not using the particular term �love jihad�. Basically, this proposed law shall be applicable to all the communities, including Hindus, Muslims, Jains, Sikhs, Christians and others. There is no such provision in which you can say that a particular community is being targetted. What we have proposed is that whenever any conversion is done by undue influence, coercion, fraud, by misrepresentation, by giving assurance of a better lifestyle or giving the threat of divine displeasure. Whoever commits such conversion that person will be punished.� 'Love jihad' is a term coined by Hindutva groups for Hindu girls being allegedly forced to convert by Muslim men to Islam in the guise of marriage. The Uttar Pradesh chief minister has several times assured that his government would bring in a law to curb 'love jihad'. While addressing an election rally in Bihar, Adityanath had raised the love jihad issue and had used the Hindu funeral chant 'Ram Naam Satya Hai' to threaten those who don't respect their daughters and sisters. "We will bring an effective law. It is my warning to those who play with the honour and dignity of sisters and daughters by hiding their real names and identities. If they do not mend their ways, their 'Ram Naam Satya' journey will start," Adityanath had said.