New Indian government set to repeal anti-conversion laws

|PIC1|The newly elected central government has agreed to repeal a Bill that has restricted the freedom of religion in India.

Home Minister P Chidambaram will reportedly be reviewing and making recommendations on the controversial anti-conversion Bill, also known as the "Freedom of Religion Acts".

Presently, the anti-conversion law is in force in five states - Orissa, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Himachal Pradesh and Gujarat. In two other states - Arunachal Pradesh and Rajasthan - the law has been passed but not yet implemented.

It is unlikely that Rajasthan will enact the Bill after Congress wrested power from the Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

The federal government is set to invalidate the Bill with the consent of Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot.

In Madhya Pradesh, where the ruling BJP had proposed amendments to make the existing law even stricter, the federal government has decided to withhold assent.

Former chief minister of Madhya Pradesh and senior politician in the Congress, Digvijay Singh, strongly opposes the Bill. He shares the concerns of the federal government that the Bill subjugates religious freedom enshrined in the constitution and claims that in his 10 years at the helm of Madhya Pradesh there were no cases of forcible conversion.

Recently, there was speculation that the BJP-led Karnataka government would adopt a similar law aimed to restrict conversions.

Minister of State for Law, Suresh Kumar, said there was strong demand for the introduction of an anti-conversion law in Karnataka.

In Himachal Pradesh, the stringent anti-conversion Bill declares that anyone found guilty of converting an individual can be punished with a two-year jail term, a heavy fine or both.

The law also states that a person intending to change their religion should inform the government 30 days in advance, with failure to do so being punishable. The same restrictions are mentioned in the Gujarat Bill as well.

Christians argue that such a Bill violates the fundamental right of freedom of conscience and freedom to profess, practise and propagate religion under Article 25 of the constitution.

The anti-conversion law was originally introduced to curb religious conversions made by “force”, “fraud” or “allurement". Christians, however, say the law has been misused to arrest and imprison church leaders with fabricated charges.

While Hindu nationalists are pushing for a national anti-conversion law, church leaders continue to appeal for the anti-conversion law to be repealed in all states and for the equal treatment of minorities.