After UP's Love-Jihad Ordinance, MP Proposes 10-Yr Jail Term In Draft Bill; Karnataka And Haryana To Follow Suit

The Madhya Pradesh government on Wednesday doubled the jail term for forced religious conversions for marriage from five years to 10 years in its draft bill against 'love jihad'.

Love Jihad Controversy: After the Yogi Adityanath government passed an ordinance on Love Jihad on Tuesday, the Shivraj Singh Chouhan-led government in Madhya Pradesh has drawn up a bill to punish ‘Love Jihad’ with a 10-year imprisonment for inter-faith couples who are marrying with the intention to religiously convert. Also Read|Uttar Pradesh: Adityanath Cabinet Passes Ordinance Against Love Jihad, Up To 10 Yrs Jail For Violators Madhya Pradesh Home Minister Narottam Mishra said that the Dharm Swatantrya (Religious Freedom) Bill, 2020, would be tabled in the state Assembly during the session beginning from December 28. The Madhya Pradesh home minister elaborated on the permission required for people wanting to marry outside their faith. “Under this proposed law, the parties concerned will have to submit an application to the district magistrate before the conversion for marriage,” he was quoted as saying by PTI. The Chouhan government had earlier proposed a five-year jail term in its Freedom of Religion Bill 2020 that it seeks to move in the next session of the MP assembly. For voluntary conversion for marriage, it will be mandatory to apply to the collector a month in advance, the minister said. The guardians can complain in such cases and anyone facilitating such marriages will be considered an accused and be penalized, the minister said. For institutions that organize such an activity, their registration will be cancelled. Love Jihad Ordinance of Uttar Pradesh

• In the proposed Bill, there is a provision of up to five years jail term with Rs 15,000 penalty for a person convicted in such a case.
•  For conversions of minors and women of the SC/ST community, there will be a jail term of three to 10 years with a Rs 25,000 penalty.
• Under the Act, a consenting couple needs to reach out to the District Magistrate's court expressing a desire for marriage. Subsequent to such a request, the administration will issue a 30-day notice during which objections can be raised to such a proposed marriage.
• In case the charge is proven, the accused can be awarded rigorous imprisonment for up to five years if the woman is from the general category. The quantum of punishment can go up to 10 years in case the victim is a minor or a Dalit.

Karnataka, Haryana also on the same track to bring law against 'Love Jihad' Other Bharatiya Janata Party-ruled states like Karnataka and Haryana have also spoken about introducing laws against “love jihad”. Karnataka Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa had said earlier this month that his government would take measures to end religious conversions in the name of “love jihad”. Before that, his Haryana counterpart Manohar Lal Khattar had said that he was considering introducing “legal provisions” to curb “love jihad” cases in his state.