UP brings in ordinance against ‘love jihad’, violations to attract jail term of multiple years

The Uttar Pradesh Government on Tuesday passed the controversial ‘love jihad’ ordinance, officially called ‘Bill to Prevent Unlawful Religious Conversions’, which attracts a penalty of 5 years of jail term and a fine of Rs 15,000.

State Cabinet minister and government spokesperson Siddharth Nath Singh said that the state Cabinet has given its approval to ‘prevent unlawful religious conversions on the name of marriage’.

The Cabinet meeting was held on Tuesday under the chairmanship of UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath.

According to the new law, inter faith couples will have to give a notice of two months before the marriage and the District Magistrate’s (DM) permission is required for the marriage to take place. “Inter religion marriage without permission will attract jail from 6 months to 3 years and a minimum cash fine of Rs 10,000,” the spokesman said.

Concealing the original name and religion before marriage will attract 10 years’ imprisonment.

The new law says that any violation of the law or conversion will attract 1 to 5 yrs of jail and a minimum fine of Rs 15,000. If it involves a minor or SC/ST girl, then the punishment will be 3 to 10 years and a minimum fine of Rs 25,000.

In the case of mass conversion, the jail term will be 3 to 10 years with a minimum fine of Rs 50,000.

Singh told the media that the new law has been brought ‘to give justice to the women in the state’.

"In the state there are at least 100 such incidents where women were forced to convert after their marriage as the husband concealed their original names," he contended.