Gujarat: Amended Freedom of Religion Act to return into power from June 15

The Gujarat Freedom of Religion (Amendment) Act, 2021, which prohibits forcible spiritual conversion by marriage, will come into power from June 15, Chief Minister Vijay Rupani mentioned in an official launch Friday.
The stringent laws was handed in Gujarat Assembly on April 1 with majority vote after a marathon debate amid opposition by members of Congress who termed the Bill as one with “political agenda”. The CM has introduced to convey the amended Act in power from June 15 after Governor Acharya Devavrata gave his consent to the Bill not too long ago.
The newest Act has amended the Gujarat Freedom of Religion Act, 2003 with some stringent provisions in opposition to any particular person or establishment indulging in forcible spiritual conversion by marriage. It has provisions like most punishment of as much as 10 years imprisonment and superb as much as Rs 5 lakh, burden of proof on the accused and investigation by an officer not under the rank of Deputy Superintendent of Police.
Also, any marriage completed solely with a objective of non secular conversion will likely be declared null and void by the court docket having jurisdiction below the provisions of the Act. The Act aimed to take care of spiritual conversion by “allurement, force or by misrepresentation or by any other fraudulent means”.

In the unique Act, most punishment for forcible spiritual conversion by fraudulent means was of 4 years and superb as much as Rs 1 lakh. The authentic Act had two classes of “allurement” – “any gift or gratification, either in cash or kind” and “grant of any material benefit, either monetary or otherwise”. The amended Act has added third class to the allurement clause: “better lifestyle, divine blessings or otherwise.”
Congress had opposed the Bill within the Assembly whereas stating that the federal government was saying that it was to test actions like “love jihad”, however the Bill didn’t have the utilization “love jihad” even as soon as.