Laws are made to prevent people from doing something bad or something which can harm the interest of the public at large. This bill was introduced in the Haryana Vidhan Sabha to completely prohibit religious conversions that are given effect through unfair means such as misrepresentation, undue influence, coercion etc. With the introduction of this bill, many of the opposition members have raised objections such as the bill being unconstitutional in nature and that it is an attempt to create a divide within the community on the basis of religion. Many others also demanded that the government should inform the house regarding the complaints which have formed the basis for introducing such a bill. The house speaker, Gian Chand Gupta, stated that specific steps are also to be taken as preventive measures.
The reasoning given by the government for the introduction of the bill is that in recent times there have been many cases of people converting their religions due to certain things, such as the promise of marriage where the person who has promised said marriage conceals their genuine faith and after the marriage get the other to convert their religion. Hence, the bill has been introduced to prevent these situations and maintain the right of the person to practice the religion they wish to practice while also providing for greater punishment for conversion of minors, women, SCs and STs. The punishment ranges from 4-10 years imprisonment and a minimum fine of Rs. 3 Lakh.
According to this bill, the burden of proof lies on the accused. For a conversion to be considered wilful, the bill prescribes that the person converting will file a declaration with the designated authority that the conversion is taking place without any unlawful means, and the authority will conduct an inquiry into the same while also prescribing that marriages that have been conducted by concealment of religion will be considered void.
The bill was passed, and there was significant criticism by the opposition congress; many participated in the walk-out protest against the passing of the bill, while many stated that the goal of this law could already be completed with the existing laws and that there was no need to make a new one and others calling it a black chapter in Haryana’s history. In such a situation, one can only hope that the act accomplishes the goal for which it has been passed and helps people in Haryana to maintain their constitutional right to religious freedom.
Submitted By
Aryan Aggarwal