Love jihad law enforced in Himachal Pradesh too, can't be converted just to get married

- Also implemented the instructions made by the High Court in 2012

Shimla on 26th December 2020 Saturday

The government of Himachal Pradesh had also implemented the Love Jihad Act by copying the anti-love jihad law imposed by the Uttar Pradesh government. The law made it clear that no one could convert just to get married.

The government of Himachal Pradesh also implemented the same provisions as Yogi Adityanath. Anyone who converts must notify the local administration. One such law was introduced by the then Congress government in Himachal Pradesh in 2012, which the High Court termed as unconstitutional and a violation of fundamental rights. Now Chief Minister Jairam Thakur had implemented such a law.

The anti-love jihad law enacted by the Uttar Pradesh government was becoming a model for other BJP states. In Himachal Pradesh, Ditto enacted a law similar to that of Uttar Pradesh and implemented it last week. Article 7 of the Himachal Pradesh Act states that before a person converts, he has to give a written notice to the district magistrate that he does so voluntarily, not under duress or coercion.

On August 30, 2012, a two-judge division bench of the Himachal Pradesh High Court ruled that the law enacted by the then Congress government was unconstitutional and a violation of the fundamental rights of citizens. The law then died prematurely. Neither the state government nor any private party has challenged the ruling .There was a discussion as to why a citizen should give information about his religion to the administration.

The current law in Himachal Pradesh has made conversion a punishable offense. A person who converts without permission can be sentenced to three months imprisonment and a person who converts to another six months to two years imprisonment. There is also a provision that the police can investigate the case without a court warrant. The 2006 law called for forcible conversion. There is no such mention in this law. Not even mentioning conversion for marriage. But the new law also made it a punishable offense to forcibly convert, to convert by temptation, to conceal one's true identity.

In Uttar Pradesh, the district magistrate will give conversion leave, while in Himachal Pradesh, work will be done only by giving notice.