Life imprisonment will be the punishment for forced conversion in Uttarakhand, amendment bill introduced in the assembly

To make the law against forced conversion in Uttarakhand more stringent, the state government on Tuesday introduced the Uttarakhand Freedom of Religion and Prohibition of Unlawful Religious Conversion Amendment Bill in the Assembly. The new amendment bill provides for a maximum punishment of life imprisonment and a heavy fine of up to Rs 10 lakh for forced conversion.

At present, there is a provision of maximum 10 years imprisonment and a fine of Rs 50,000 for this crime in Uttarakhand. Under the bill, there is a provision of three to 10 years in general cases, five to 14 years in cases related to sensitive sections and 20 years or life imprisonment in serious cases and a heavy fine. In the amendment bill, the provisions have been made more stringent than before to stop conversion done through fraud, inducement or pressure. The definition of inducement has been expanded.

Gifts, cash/goods benefits, employment, promise of free education and marriage, hurting religious sentiments or glorifying another religion, all have been included in the category of crime. It has a provision to make punishable the acts like promoting or inciting conversion through social media, ‘messaging app’ or any online medium. A bill has been brought for the second amendment in the Religious Freedom Act, which has been in force in the state since 2018. The first amendment to the Act was made in 2022. When Pushkar Singh Dhami took over as Chief Minister for the second time.