Why Maharashtra wants to join states that have laws against ‘Love Jihad’
The Maharashtra authorities has introduced that it’d have a look at payments and legal guidelines of different states associated to ‘Love Jihad’ and take the right decision.
“Such instances are occurring all throughout the country. Some states have made stringent legal guidelines to scale back such instances; hence, Maharashtra is likewise geared up to enact the law on comparable traces to make certain long-time period safety to ladies,” Maharashtra Deputy Prime Minister Devendra Fadnavis, who additionally holds the law and judiciary portfolio, stated on December 20. The authorities will take a very last name soon.
Fadnavis additionally talked about that withinside the latest past, there were 40-peculiar morchas at diverse locations withinside the country disturbing a ‘Love Jihad’ law.
His remarks got here on an afternoon rightwing activists beat up a teenagers who turned into accused of affection jihad withinside the Indore district of Madhya Pradesh.
WHAT IS ‘LOVE JIHAD’?
In ‘Love Jihad’, Muslim guys are believed to goal predominantly Hindu however additionally Christian ladies for conversion with the aid of using approach inclusive of seduction, feigning love, deception, kidnapping, and marriage. The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has been probing numerous instances, mainly from Kerala.
Some additionally see it as an Islamophobic conspiracy concept evolved with the aid of using proponents of Hindutva. They say using the time period is greater to goal a specific network and attraction to the rightwing constituency for electoral gains. After Shraddha Walkar’s brutal homicide with the aid of using her live-in companion Aaftab Poonawala, who chopped her frame into pieces, social media turned into abuzz with the time period.
When Chandy flagged conversions
It turned into in 2009 that it drew larger interest whilst Kerala Catholic Bishops Council suggested that as much as 4,500 women in Kerala have been focused in ‘Love Jihad’, even as Hindu Janajagruti Samiti claimed that 30,000 women have been transformed to Islam in Karnataka alone.
On June 25, 2012, then Kerala Chief Minister Oommen Chandy of the Congress knowledgeable the country legislature that 2,667 younger ladies have been transformed to Islam withinside the country considering that 2006, of which 2,195 have been Hindus and 492 Christians.
Even aleven though Chandy stated there has been no proof for compelled conversions withinside the country and the fears approximately love jihad have been baseless, his assertion sparked a debate at the touchy subject.
Many Hindu and Christian businesses demanded an research into the “phenomenon”. It turned into additionally alleged that the Popular Front of India, banned in September this year, and Campus Front have been at the back of the spurt in ‘Love Jihad’ instances.
In September 2009, rightwing institution Shri Ram Sena placed up posters caution in opposition to love jihad in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala. In December 2011, Mallika Prasad of the BJP stirred a hornet’s nest in Karnataka legislative meeting whilst she stated that eighty four women have been suggested lacking in Dakshina Kannada district from June to November of that year, of whom handiest sixty nine have been traced. After her assertion, the Karnataka authorities determined to release a probe into ‘Love Jihad’.
LAW IN UP
In 2019, the Uttar Pradesh State Law Commission submitted a document earlier than the Chief Minister pronouncing compelled non secular conversions or conversions thru fraudulent methods have been growing. It advocated a law to test it. In 2020, the Uttar Pradesh Cabinet cleared a draft ordinance in opposition to forceful inter-religion conversions — ‘Love Jihad’. The Uttar Pradesh authorities applied it aggressively.
The law prohibits conversion of faith thru force, misrepresentation, undue influence, allurement, fraud or marriage. It additionally prohibits someone from abetting, convincing, and conspiring to such conversions. Marriage is said void if it turned into executed for the only cause of illegal conversion, vice-versa or if the non secular conversion did now no longer observe the technique withinside the ordinance.
Apart from punishment, it additionally makes such an act of conversion a non-bailable crook offence. Offences beneathneath the law are punishable with the aid of using up to ten years of imprisonment.
On September 19 this year, the primary conviction in UP beneathneath the ordinance turned into executed whilst the Amroha district courtroom docket sentenced 25-year-antique Mohammad Afzal to 5 years in jail and imposed a high-quality of Rs 40,000 on him.
It turned into alleged that Afzal had lied approximately his identity, taken a 16-year-antique Hindu woman to Delhi and compelled her to transform to Islam for marriage. Afzal’s legal professional contested the ruling and stated, “The case rests on forcible conversion, however, there’s no proof on report to show that the accused turned into looking to forcibly convert the minor.”
MADHYA PRADESH
After Uttar Pradesh, every other BJP-dominated country, Madhya Pradesh, accompanied in shape and surpassed a comparable law. In March 2021, the Madhya Pradesh Legislative Assembly surpassed the Madhya Pradesh Freedom of Religion Bill, 2021.
Those located responsible of conversion thru fraudulent approach” will invite a prison of up to ten years and a high-quality of Rs 1 lakh. Any marriage solemnised in violation of the law is taken into consideration null and void. Those inclined to transform want to use to the district management 60 days in advance. The non secular leaders facilitating the conversion should additionally tell approximately it 60 days in advance. A prison time period and high-quality could be slapped if this isn’t always accompanied.
The regulation additionally has many different provisions, together with 3 to ten years of imprisonment and a great of Rs 50,000 in instances of marriage finished through hiding faith, misrepresentation or impersonation.
The different states which have anti-conversion laws are Gujarat, Haryana, Chhattisgarh, Himachal Pradesh, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Odisha, Uttarakhand and Karnataka.
THE LANDMARK HADIYA CASE
In 2017, the Hadiya case, investigated through the NIA, made headlines. It became alleged through the daddy of a Hindu woman, Akhila alias Hadiya, that a Muslim guy forcibly transformed her to Islam for marriage. The Kerala High Court annulled the marriage considering the bride’s mother and father have been now no longer present, nor gave consent for the marriage. On March 8, 2018, the Supreme Court overturned the annulment of Hadiya’s marriage.
In June 2018, Jharkhand High Court gave its nod for a divorce in an alleged ‘Love Jihad’ case wherein the accused allegedly lied approximately his faith and pressured the sufferer to transform to Islam after marriage.
FREEDOM OF CHOICE
Even aleven though laws in opposition to ‘Love Jihad’ are being made greater stringent, it’s far pertinent to word that increasingly more interfaith couples are braving the percentages to tie the nuptial knot. The laws in opposition to pressured conversions are great however they shouldn’t spawn a subculture of fear, professionals have said.
If this happens, the couples will inn to conversion as an get away route. India’s Special Marriage Act requires a month’s be aware earlier than inter-religion couples can get married. The couple’s own circle of relatives can increase objections to it and prevent it.
While illegal sports want to be dealt with, it’s also vital to present person couples the proper of freedom to pick out their companions and their faith.
