SOURCE :- SIASAT NEWS
New Delhi: The Maharashtra Freedom of Religion Act will be implemented this Rakshabandhan, August 28, this year. The state government has issued a gazette notification to this effect.
The Freedom of Religion Bill received presidential assent from President Droupadi Murmu on July 31.
With this, Maharashtra becomes the 13th state in the country to pass such a law, popularly called the anti-conversion law. These are Arunachal Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, and Uttarakhand.
What does the Act entail
The Act prohibits unlawful religious conversions through any of these devices: allurement, misrepresentation, force, undue influence, coercion, and any other fraudulent means.
Making conversion tougher, it requires both a 60-day advance declaration of intent and a post-conversion declaration.
The converted person, their parents, siblings, or anyone related by blood, marriage, or adoption can file a complaint. The police must register a complaint even if it is a relative approaching them.
Meanwhile, any marriage proven to have been solemnised just for unlawful conversion will be declared null and void by the court, according to the Act.
As far as the status of kids born out of such a marriage is concerned, they will follow the mother’s religion before conversion and will be entitled to maintenance.
It prescribes seven years of prison and up to Rs 5 lakh in fine for offences under the Act.
Not that simple, say critics
First of all, there is no data justifying the need for such a stringent Act. Critics also say that prior declaration of the intent to convert could lead to ostracisation of the individual wanting to convert.
It could put individuals under undue pressure from the family.
Since the provisions under the Act are non-bailable, it could be used to target even consenting couples in interfaith marriages.
There is also the fear of vigilante groups becoming active and targeting couples.
All offences under this Act are cognisable and non-bailable.
What was the need?
Even as the Act appears to be infringing on one’s fundamental rights under Article 25 of the Constitution, the government says the right to freedom of religion is not absolute.
The Maharashtra government has cited an increase in the cases of forcible conversions to justify the need for such an Act.
SOURCE : SIASAT
