BJP govt likely to return Coversion Bill to Governor for approval

Jaipur, May 20 (UNI) The Vasundhara Raje government seems adamant to implement the controversial Anti-Conversion Bill in Rajasthan, as it is likely to send it back to the Governor for final approval.

A Cabinet meeting of ministers is expected to be held today to decide the course of action. Ministers have been consulting legal experts in this matter.

Governor Pratibha Patil had returned the Bill to the state government for its reconsideration and had even advised sending the Bill to President APJ Abdul Kalam for approval. The Governor feels, implementing the Bill is likely to affect the religious freedom of a person and has quoted the objections raised by the Opposition and minority groups.

Mrs Raje has held several rounds of talks with the state law minister Ghyanshyam Tiwari, other Cabinet colleagues and legal experts to discuss the pros and cons of the Bill.

Mr Tiwari, however, said this Bill is a state matter and in all probablity will be sent back to the Governor for approval.

It is to be noted that the controversial Bill was passed on last day of the Budget Session of the Assembly on April 7 this year, despite stiff opposition from the Opposition members.

Congress legislator Hari Mohan Sharma has shot a memorandum to President Kalam saying that the state government had flouted rules of the House by disallowing time for discussion on the Bill before passing it.

The Anti-Conversion Bill makes conversion through allurement, force or fraudelent means a non-bailable offence and provides for punishment of uptil five years simple imprisonment and a maximum fine of Rs 50,000 to the guilty.

It gives the state the right to put behind bars any person accused of forcing a religious conversion even before being tried.

According to the provisions of the law, even a deputy SP rank officer would be able to arrest any person who has converted or attempted to convert a person through force or allurement.

UNI