Karnataka: Siddaramaiah Govt Decides To Repeal Anti-Conversion Law

The Karnataka government has decided to repeal the anti-conversion act which was introduced by the previous BJP government.

The Siddaramaiah government has also decided to do away with the chapters on RSS founder K B Hegdewar and others from the school books. It has also consented to add chapters on social reformer and educator Savitribai Phule and Nehru's letters to Indira Gandhi and poetry on Ambedkar.

The government will introduce a bill in this regard in the upcoming legislature session, which starts on July 3.

"The Cabinet discussed the anti-conversion bill. We have approved the bill to repeal the changes that were brought in by them (BJP government) in 2022. It will be tabled during the session starting from July 3," Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister H K Patil told reporters after the Cabinet meeting.

Despite opposition from Congress and some activists, the Karnataka Protection of Right to Freedom of Religion Act (anti-conversion law) came into effect in 2022. This act provides for the protection of the right to freedom of religion and prohibition of unlawful conversion from one religion to another by misrepresentation, force, undue influence, coercion, allurement or by any fraudulent means.

The law proposed imprisonment from three to five years with a fine of Rs 25,000 and the offenders will face imprisonment from three to 10 years and a fine of not less than Rs 50,000 for violation of provisions with respect to minors, women, SC/ST, the offenders will face imprisonment from three to 10 years and a fine of not less than Rs 50,000.

The act includes provisions for the accused to pay compensation of up to Rs 5 lakh to those who underwent forced conversion. In cases of mass conversion, there will be a prison sentence of 3 to 10 years and a fine of up to Rs 1 lakh.

The law also declares that any marriage carried out with the intention of illegal conversion, where a man of one religion marries a woman of another religion, either by converting himself or the woman before or after marriage, will be considered null and void by the family court. The act mandates that persons who wish to convert to another faith shall give a declaration in a prescribed format at least 30 days in advance to the district magistrate or the additional district magistrate specially authorised by the district magistrate in this regard of his residing district or place of birth within the state.

Also, the religious converter who performs the conversion shall give 30 days advance notice in a format, to the district magistrate or the additional district magistrate.

The Congress government has to do away with the law either through a Bill or by promulgating an ordinance. However, an ordinance will have to be replaced with a Bill within six months.