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Updated June 4th, 2021 at 23:51 IST

Gujarat to enforce 'Love Jihad' law from June 15, offenders could face 3-5 years in prison

Chief Minister Vijay Rupani on Friday announced that the Gujarat Freedom of Religion (Amendment) Act 2021 would be implemented from June 15 onwards

Reported by: Jitesh Vachhatani
Gujarat
Image Credits: PTI | Image:self
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Following the footsteps of Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh, Chief Minister Vijay Rupani on Friday announced that the Gujarat Freedom of Religion (Amendment) Act 2021 would be implemented from June 15 onwards. The act, commonly referred to as the 'Love Jihad' law, would be enacted in cases of marriage for the purpose of religious conversion or conversion for the purpose of marriage only, the CMO said. The law had been passed by the Gujarat Assembly on April 1 and received the Governor's assent two weeks ago. 

Apart from Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh are the two states in India to have passed such legislation against forcible conversion through marriage. Under the amendment, forcible conversion by marriage, or by getting a person married, or by aiding a person to get married shall attract punishment of 3-5 years and a fine of up to Rs.2 lakh. In case, the victim is a woman, minor, SC, or ST, the offender can be punished with a jail term of 4-7 years and a fine of not less than Rs.3 lakh. 

Significantly, if an organization is found involved, the punishment is between 3-10 years and the definition of "allurement" has been expanded to ensure that any person who offers a "better lifestyle, divine blessings or otherwise" in lieu of conversion under the Gujarat Freedom of Religion (Amendment) Act 2021. All offences under this bill will be cognizable and non-bailable. 

What is 'Love Jihad'? 

As per some organizations, 'Love Jihad' refers to inter-religious marriages where the woman converts to Islam either by force or guile in order to marry a Muslim man. In 2010, the then Kerala Chief Minister VS Achuthanandan had accused PFI and some other organizations of planning to turn the state into a Muslim-majority state by doling out money. In 2020, G Kishan Reddy told the Parliament that 'Love Jihad' is not defined under the current laws and that no such case has been reported by any of the Central agencies. The aim of the aforesaid Gujarat bill is to curtail the "emerging trend in which women are lured to marriage for the purpose of religious conversion".

Image Credits: PTI

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Published June 4th, 2021 at 23:51 IST

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