By Verghese V Joseph –
Bengaluru: The Karnataka Assembly on Thursday passed the contentious “Karnataka Protection of Right to Freedom of Religion Bill, 2021”, popularly known as “Anti-conversion Bill”, amidst stiff opposition.
The bill will still need to be approved by the Legislative Council, where BJP doesn’t have a majority.
The bill was passed by a voice vote, even as Congress members vehemently opposed the bill, calling it “anti people”, “inhuman”, “anti constitutional”, “anti poor” and “draconian”, and urged that it should not be passed for any reason and should be withdrawn by the government. JD(S) too expressed its opposition to the bill, which was introduced in the Assembly on Tuesday.
They also took exception to some remarks made by Minister K S Eshwarappa, during his intervention in the debate.
Congress was caught off guard with the ruling BJP alleging that the bill was actually “initiated” under the Siddaramaiah led Congress administration, and placed documents to support its claim before the House.
Although Siddaramaiah, who is now the Leader of Opposition, denied it, later on personally going through the records in the Speaker’s office, accepted that as the CM he had then only asked the draft bill to be placed before the cabinet and no decision was taken in this regard, and hence it cannot be seen or projected as the intention of his government.
Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai said, “RSS is committed to anti conversion, it is not a hidden secret, it is an open secret. Why did the Congress government in 2016 initiate the bill during its tenure following the RSS’ policy? It is because Congress CM in Himachal Pradesh Virbhadra Singh had brought a similar law. You are a party to this bill.”
Bommai said the bill is both constitutional and legal, and aimed at getting rid of the menace of religious conversion.
The “Karnataka Protection of Right to Freedom of Religion Bill, 2021”, provides for protection of right to freedom of religion and prohibition of unlawful conversion from one religion to another by misrepresentation, force, undue influence, coercion, allurement or by any fraudulent means.
The bill proposes an imprisonment from three to five years with a fine of Rs 25,000, while for violation of provisions with respect to minors, women, SC/ST, offenders will face imprisonment from three to ten years and a fine of not less than Rs 50,000.
The bill also makes provisions for the accused to pay up to Rs five lakh as compensation to those who were made to convert, and with regards to cases of mass conversion the bill proposes 3-10 years jail term and a fine of up to Rs one lakh.
It also states that any marriage which has happened for the sole purpose of unlawful conversion or vice-versa by the man of one religion with the woman of another religion, either by converting himself before or after marriage or by converting the woman before or after marriage, shall be declared as null and void by the family court.
Where the family court is not established, the court having jurisdiction to try such case, on a petition presented by either party thereto against the other party of the marriage.
The offense under this bill is non-bailable and cognizable.