“Uttar Pradesh’s Controversial Anti-Conversion Bill: What’s New and Who’s Affected?”

On Tuesday, the Uttar Pradesh Vidhan Sabha passed the Uttar Pradesh Unlawful Conversion of Religion (Amendment) Bill, 2024. This new legislation intensifies penalties for unlawful religious conversions, particularly those involving marriage under false pretenses. The amended law now includes provisions for life imprisonment in the most severe cases. The bill has sparked controversy, with opposition parties criticizing it as an attempt to distract from other issues through communal politics.

Key Provisions of the Amendment:

• Maximum Punishment: Life imprisonment for marrying under false pretenses and illegally converting a woman’s religion.
• Other Offenses: Up to 20 years of imprisonment or life imprisonment for:
  • Threatening or attacking individuals for conversion.
  • Marrying or promising marriage for conversion.
  • Conspiring or trafficking for conversion.

Changes in Legal Procedure:

• FIR Registration: Any person can now register a First Information Report (FIR) in cases of unlawful conversion. Previously, under the Unlawful Conversion Act, 2021, only the victim, her parents, or siblings could file a complaint.
• Court Proceedings: Cases will be tried only in Sessions Courts, and bail pleas will not be considered without the involvement of the public prosecutor.
• Non-Bailable Offenses: All crimes under the amended Act are non-bailable.

Opposition Response:

• Samajwadi Party (SP):
  • Akhilesh Yadav accused the BJP government of using communal politics to distract from other issues.
• Congress Party:
  • Shahnawaz Alam criticized the bill as an extension of the BJP’s agenda of hatred.
  • Questioned the effectiveness of the previous Act and the government’s commitment to punishing the guilty.
  • Linked the bill’s timing to recent controversies, suggesting it aims to polarize the environment.