Yogi cabinet approves draft ordinance on religious conversions

Lucknow, Nov 24 : The Yogi Adityanath-led government in Uttar Pradesh on Tuesday approved the draft ordinance dealing with forced religious conversions, also known as ‘love jihad’.
Interestingly, the ordinance does not mention the term ‘love jihad’ and the draft has been named ‘Vidhi Virudh Dharmantaran 2020’.
The cabinet meeting held on Tuesday gave 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, the Chairman of the Law Commission, said, “The term ‘love jihad’ has not been used in the Bill, and conversions related to all religions will be covered under the new law. To be precise, it will not just be focused on Hindu-Muslim conversions or conversions for the specific purpose of marriage.” In the proposed Bill, there is a provision of five to 10-year jail term for a person convicted in such a case.
Mittal, however, added that under the prospective law, inter-religious marriages will be encouraged to go through the Special Marriage Act.