SHIMLA: The Himachal Pradesh assembly approved the Himachal Pradesh Freedom of Religion (Amendment) Bill, 2022, on Saturday to make the state’s 2019 anti-conversion law more stringent by forbidding a convert from availing “any benefit” of parents’ religion or caste and enhancing the maximum punishment to 10 years’ imprisonment. This came amid suggestions by opposition legislators on sending the bill to a select committee for detailed discussion.
Himachal CM Jai Ram Thakur said earlier the law was enacted with a view to providing freedom of religion by prohibiting religious conversions by misrepresentation, force, undue influence, coercion, inducement or by any fraudulent means or marriage.
As per the amendment of Section 2 of the principal act, now the clause (fa) has been added that states that mass conversion means a conversion wherein two or more than two persons are converted at the same time. With the amendment of Section 4, now if a person marries someone by concealing his religion shall be punished with minimum imprisonment of not less than 3 years and maximum imprisonment of 10 years, and shall also be liable to fine which shall not be less than Rs 50,000, but which may extend to Rs 1 lakh.
Whosoever contravenes the provisions of Section 3 in respect of mass conversion shall be punished with imprisonment not less than 5 years, which may extend to 10 years, and shall also be liable to fine not less than Rs 1 lakh, which may extend to Rs 1.50 lakh. In case of a second offence, the term of imprisonment shall not be less than 7 years, but may extend to 10 years and shall also be liable to fine which shall not be less than Rs 1.50 lakh and which may extend to Rs 2 lakh.
Now whoever makes a false declaration or who continues to take benefit of his parent religion or caste even after conversion, shall be punished with imprisonment not less than 2 years, which may extend to 5 years, and shall also be liable to fine not less than Rs 50,000 which may extend to Rs 1 lakh.
