ThePrint ·
Crime, law and justice
After 3+ years in power, Congress govt looks to revive promise to repeal Karnataka anti-conversion law
The party had promised to repeal the Act before the 2023 assembly polls, but held back without a majority in the legislative council. It now has the numbers.
Bengaluru: After over three years in power in Karnataka, the Congress party is likely to start deliberations on the controversial anti-conversion law, with plans to repeal the Act in the upcoming winter session of the state legislature, ThePrint has learnt.
People aware of the developments said that the government had delayed moving on the issue for various reasons, but the D.K. Shivakumar-led government would now start discussions and deliberations on repealing the law.
“We have wanted to repeal it for a while, but we lacked a majority in the (legislative) council. Now, after the recent elections, we have a majority and will move to repeal the act,” according to one state cabinet minister, requesting anonymity.
Although the Congress has previously discussed repealing the Act, it has exercised caution about aggressively removing several controversial BJP-era bills and acts to avoid alienating any community, while hoping to consolidate support from others.
The Karnataka Protection of Right to Freedom of Religion Bill, 2021, better known as the anti-conversion act, was passed on 9 September 2022, by the Basavaraj Bommai-led Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government. The bill passed through various stages after it was first mooted, including being pushed through with an ordinance in May 2022.
The law’s motive is to stop conversion by “force, allurement or fraud”, and it also imposes heavy penalties, including jail terms up to 10 years and fines of Rs 1 lakh.
According to the existing anti-conversion law in effect in Karnataka, no one should be converted by another “by use or practice of misrepresentation, force, undue influence, coercion, allurement or by any fraudulent means or by any of these means or by promise of marriage, nor shall any person abet or conspire such conversion”.
Those willing to convert on their own accord must submit an application to the District Collector who will scrutinise the application and interview the applicant to ascertain if the conversion is not by force or allurement.
If the application is found to be genuine, other departments will be informed to ensure the person converting loses benefits from their existing caste or religion and is included in the category into which they are converting.
Nearly a dozen states in India, the majority of which are ruled by the BJP, have such anti-conversion laws in place. In Karnataka, the law has remained in place despite the Congress dislodging the BJP in 2023 with the promise of repealing what it called a “draconian act” as well as several others.