Approval from DC to be made must before religious conversion in Karnataka

Anti-conversion law expected to have penal provisions for fines, imprisonment

Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai and Minister K.S. Eshwarappa at the Legislative Assembly session in Belagavi Monday.

Karnataka is likely to insist that a person who wishes to convert to another religious faith must file an application before the Deputy Commissioner two months prior. Approval from the official will be made mandatory.

Further, the person, who wishes to convert to another religion but receiving reservation benefits in the religion that he is practising, will stand to lose that benefit and receive the benefit as per what he/she is entitled to in the religion he converts to.

Mostly modelled on the existing anti-conversion legislations in Uttar Pradesh and Gujarat, the Karnataka Government is also adding penal provisions for fine and imprisonment.

Review applications

Providing some details of the much-debated and opposed anti-conversion Bill, Home Ministry sources told

The Hindu that any person wishing to convert will have to submit an application before the Deputy Commissioner while the person assisting in the conversion will also have to apply to the DC about a month before the process. “The DC will then review the applications and approve the conversion,” sources said. “The Bill is being fine tuned by the Law Department and will be ready in a day to be placed before the Cabinet. We will move the Bill in this session,” Home Minister Araga Jnanendra said. He said that the government had studied the existing law in eight States and several Supreme Court decisions to draft the Bill.

Defending the Bill, Mr. Jnanendra said it was being brought to prevent law and order problems in the State. “While Constitution provides freedom to practise any religion, it prohibits conversion by force or inducement. However, it has not prescribed penal provisions. We will be adding penal provision in the Bill.” He insisted that the proposed legislation will help all religions.

Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai also told reporters that the draft of the proposed Bill is being studied by the Law Department.

“Any law will obviously witness opinions for and against. However, the government would have to enact laws in public interest and the issue would be debated,” he said, reacting to the opposition to the Bill by Opposition leaders.

‘Love jihad’ law too in the offing, says Minister

Amidst opposition to the proposed Anti-conversion Bill, Cabinet Ministers on Monday indicated that a separate legislation against “love jihad” too would follow.

Ahead of the commencement of Winter session of the Legislature, Energy Minister Sunil Kumar, while defending the Anti-conversion bill, said the BJP Government would bring a separate law against “love jihad”.

Later, Rural Development and Panchayat Raj Minister K.S. Eshwarappa also said such a law will be brought to “protect women”. “In the name of ‘love jihad’, women are being sold abroad and abandoned after marriage,” he said.

Home Minister Araga Jnanendra confirmed to The Hindu that discussion in the government has started on bringing such a legislation. “However, it will take time since we want to bring legislation that will stand the test of law,” he said.