Shimla: The Himachal Pradesh parliament is set to introduce a bill to add a specific reference to "mass conversion" to an existing legislation that prohibits changing one's faith by coercion or inducement and to strengthen penalty on Saturday, the final day of the Monsoon Session.
On Friday, the Himachal Pradesh Freedom of Religion (Amendment) Bill, 2022, was introduced by the Jai Ram Thakur-led government. The Himachal Pradesh Freedom of Religion Act, 2019, which recently passed into law a little more than 18 months ago, has been strengthened by this legislation.
The 2019 bill was notified only on December 21, 2020, i.e, 15 months after it was passed in the state assembly. The 2019 version had in turn replaced a 2006 law, which prescribed lesser punishments. The amendment bill suggests raising the maximum sentence for forced conversions from seven years to a maximum of ten years.
It says that a police officer with at least the rank of sub inspector must conduct the investigation of any complaints submitted in accordance with the Act. A sessions court will now try the offences.
The chief minister had said when proposing the law on Friday that "some minor amendments are being made in the punishment measures to make the Act more effective."
The Act forbids conversion through deception, coercion, force, undue influence, inducement, marriage, or any other dishonest methods. According to Section 5 of the Act, any marriage entered into solely for the purpose of conversion is deemed "null and void."
The law's proposed revision, which was filed in the House just months before the state's elections, leaves this and nearly all other clauses unaltered.
The law in the state needs anyone seeking to convert to give a month's notice to the district magistrate saying that they wish to changing their religion on their own.
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