UP law panel suggests new law to check forcible conversions

The Uttar Pradesh State Law Commission on Thursday submitted a report to Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, suggesting a new law to check forcible religious conversions. "The report was submitted along with a draft legislation, Uttar Pradesh Freedom of Religion Bill, 2019," law commission secretary Sapna Tripathi told PTI.

The report was prepared after going through pre and post-independence laws in the country and neighbouring countries like Nepal, Myanmar, Bhutan, Sri Lanka and Pakistan besides keeping in mind court judgments. "The commission is of the view that existing legal provisions are not enough to check religious conversions and on this serious matter, a new law is needed like in 10 other states," the report said.

The 268-page report included recent newspaper clippings regarding forcible conversions, international covenants on the right to religion, anti-conversion laws in neighbouring countries and India. It also deals with the constitutional framework of the right to freedom of religion in India, anti-conversion laws of various states, along with a comparative study, recommendations of the law commission of India and extracts from important apex court and high court judgments besides proceedings of the UP Legislative Assembly.

It said states like Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, Arunachal Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Gujarat, Rajasthan, Chhatisgarh, Jharkhand, Himachal Pradesh and Uttrakhand had made special laws to ban conversions by force, fraud, marriage or allurement.

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