Unlawful interfaith marriages will be annulled, burden of proof on accused—Rajasthan’s anti-conversion Invoice
New Delhi: The Rajasthan Prohibition of Illegal Conversion of Faith Invoice, 2025 has stringent clauses and extreme penalties together with life imprisonment and bulldozer motion to test compelled and fraudulent spiritual conversion.
In response to the Invoice handed Tuesday within the Rajasthan Meeting, a duplicate of which is with ThePrint, reconverting to ancestral faith shouldn’t be included within the definition of spiritual conversion.
“If any individual re-converts to unique faith i.e. ancestral faith, the identical shall not be deemed to be a conversion underneath this Act. Clarification.- For the aim of this sub-section unique faith i.e. ancestral faith means the faith wherein forefathers/ancestors of the individual had religion, perception or was practiced by forefathers/ancestors of the individual voluntarily and freely,” it mentioned.
Marriages achieved for the only objective of “illegal conversion or vice-versa” will likely be declared null and void, the Invoice reads, including that the “burden of proof’ lies on the accused.
“Whether or not a spiritual conversion was not effected by way of misrepresentation, misinformation, drive, undue affect, coercion, propaganda, convincing, provocation, allurement, on-line solicitation or by any fraudulent means or by marriage, or pretext of marriage lies on the one that has brought on the conversion and on the abettor who aids or abets such conversion,” it says.
The Invoice takes be aware of makes an attempt at conversion by way of digital means and addresses them. “To supply for prohibition of illegal conversion from one faith to a different by misrepresentation, misinformation, drive, undue affect, coercion, allurement, on-line solicitation or by any fraudulent means or by marriage or pretext of marriage and for the issues linked therewith or incidental thereto,” it reads.
The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and its associates together with the Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP) have been highlighting the problem of conversion in Rajasthan in addition to circumstances of ‘love jihad’. In July, VHP central president Alok Kumar had met Chief Minister Bhajan Lal Sharma to demand an “anti-conversion legislation”.
With the Invoice getting handed, Rajasthan has joined the record of states reminiscent of Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, amongst others which have already got anti-conversion legal guidelines in place. The opposition Congress has been essential of the anti-conversion Invoice and didn’t take part within the debate within the Rajasthan meeting.
The brand new Invoice has extra strict penalties in comparison with the earlier Invoice, which was launched within the earlier session however withdrawn earlier this 12 months.
As an illustration, reconverting to 1’s ancestral faith was not a part of the earlier model of the Invoice. Additionally, within the Invoice handed Tuesday, any info associated to conversion or concerning any grievance may solely be lodged by the aggrieved individual or their blood relations amongst others, however now it may be achieved by “any individual”.
On the similar time, it included that whoever receives cash from any international or unlawful establishments in reference to illegal spiritual conversion will be punished with rigorous punishment for a time period not lower than 10 years which can lengthen to twenty years and a positive of Rs 20 lakh.
“The Rajasthan Meeting in the present day has achieved the work of giving a stringent legislation to place an finish to incidents of spiritual conversion within the state..,” Minister of State for House Jawahar Singh Bedham advised the media.
Additionally Learn: Nun arrests row raging, new rigidity for BJP—VHP desires Rajasthan govt to probe missionaries’ ‘black deeds’
Harsher penalties
Penalties are harsher for compelled spiritual conversion and that features life imprisonment in some circumstances. Bulldozer motion will be initiated on the buildings of establishments which are concerned in spiritual conversions, based on the Invoice. Nevertheless, this will likely be achieved on properties used for mass conversion or are discovered responsible of encroachment.
“Demolition of unlawful development.- If there may be/are any unlawful/ unauthorized development(s)/ construction on such property or premises the place the unlawful train of conversion or mass conversion has taken place, shall be liable to be demolished after upholding the inquiry by any gazetted officer appointed by the District Justice of the Peace or the State Authorities,” the Invoice reads.
Equally, a property used for illegal conversions will likely be forfeited after an inquiry, regardless of whether or not the acts had been achieved with or with out the proprietor’s consent. “The property contains property which belongs to the individual convicted underneath this Act or belongs to the others however used for illegal conversion by the individual convicted with or with out consent of the proprietor of used property,” the Invoice says.
These discovered responsible of conducting illegal spiritual conversion will be “punished with imprisonment for a time period which shall not be lower than 7 years however which can lengthen to 14 years and shall even be liable to positive which shall not be lower than Rs 5 lakh.”
Imprisonment will be no less than 10 years and lengthen as much as 20 years if such circumstances contain a minor, an individual with incapacity, a lady and an individual belonging to the Scheduled Castes or the Scheduled Tribes. Fines will likely be a minimal of Rs 10 lakh.
In case of mass spiritual conversions, the punishment will likely be “rigorous imprisonment for a time period which shall not be lower than 20 years however which can lengthen to imprisonment for all times, which shall imply imprisonment for the rest of that individual’s pure life, and shall even be liable to positive which shall not be lower than Rs 25 lakh.”
Considerably, the anti-conversion Invoice offers “safety of motion taken in good religion”. “No swimsuit, prosecution, or different authorized proceedings shall lie in opposition to any authority or officer or complainant for something achieved in good religion or supposed to be achieved, or presupposed to be achieved, or omitted to be achieved in pursuance of this Act, or any rule or order made thereunder,” it mentioned.
In contrast to the earlier model, the brand new Invoice defines establishments as together with “all authorized entities, instructional establishments, orphanages, previous age houses, hospitals, spiritual missionaries, non-governmental organisations and such different organisations of public character”.
The time period “propaganda” is included within the newest model of the Invoice. “The systematic dissemination of data, concepts, or beliefs, together with misinformation, by way of any medium (printed materials, print media, social media, messaging functions, or another digital mode), with the intent to trigger or facilitate illegal conversion by misrepresentation, drive,” it says.
(Edited by Tony Rai)
Additionally Learn: VHP, Bajrang Dal’s Garba motion plan—girls helpline to report harassment, forestall ‘love jihad’
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