Mumbai, March 17: The political debate surrounding the Freedom of Religion Bill presented in the Maharashtra Assembly has intensified. Raees Sheikh, a legislator from the Samajwadi Party, voiced his opposition to the bill on Monday, stating that it restricts the constitutional rights of citizens. He emphasized that the bill cannot be justified without adequate data and transparency.
Sheikh argued that the issue of religious freedom is highly significant and sensitive. He urged that instead of rushing to pass the bill, it should be sent to a Joint Select Committee for thorough examination. He also called for extensive public consultation on the matter.
In a reaction shared on the social media platform X, Sheikh wrote, “I opposed the Freedom of Religion Bill in the Assembly today. A law that limits Article 25 and places the burden of proof on citizens cannot be justified without any data or transparency. Such an important bill should be referred to a Joint Select Committee and subjected to public consultation.”
Amidst this, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis clarified that the bill is not targeted against any particular religion. He stressed that the legislation aims to prevent forced, fraudulent, or coerced religious conversions.
Fadnavis noted that anti-conversion laws are already in place in several states, including Odisha, Arunachal Pradesh, Meghalaya, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Haryana, Karnataka, and Rajasthan. Maharashtra has decided to follow this path. He stated that Article 25 of the Constitution grants every citizen the right to profess, practice, and propagate their religion. However, forcing someone to convert through fraud, coercion, or inducement is unacceptable, thus necessitating such a law.
He further explained that individuals wishing to convert voluntarily must follow a legal process. They need to inform authorized officials, who will verify whether the conversion is indeed voluntary before granting approval.
According to the proposed law, conversions conducted through coercion, threats, undue pressure, fraud, or inducement will be deemed illegal. Marriages conducted solely for the purpose of illegal conversion can be annulled by the court. The bill stipulates penalties of up to seven years in prison and fines for those found guilty of illegal conversion. Stricter punishments are proposed for cases involving women, minors, or individuals from Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes. Complaints can be filed by the affected individuals or their close relatives, and in certain cases, police may also take action.
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