Karanataka Governor Thawar Chand Gehlot has given his assent to ordinance on anti-conversion bill.
Karanataka Governor Thawar Chand Gehlot on Tuesday gave his assent to the anti-conversion bill. Despite protests by Opposition and Christian groups, the state government took the ordinance route in order to give effect to the law against religious conversions.
The anti-conversion bill is aimed at preventing conversion by means of ‘allurement’, ‘coercion’, ‘force’, ‘fraudulent means’, and also ‘mass’, conversion. According to the government, these instances cause disturbance of ‘public order’ in the state
Because the Assembly and Council got prorogued, we are placing a proposal to promulgate an ordinance in the Cabinet today,” Chief Minister Bommai had said.
The bill proposes imprisonment of three to five years with a fine of Rs 25,000 for ‘forced’ conversion. The bill also states that converting a minor, woman or an SC/ST person will attract a jail term of three to 10 years, with a Rs 50,000 fine.
Mass conversions will attract three to 10 years of jail time, with a fine of up to Rs one lakh.Live TV
