Like Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh, the Gujarat government is mulling the possibility of an anti-love-jihad law in the state. The proposed law is being explored by the state’s home and law departments.
The state, currently, has in place the Gujarat Freedom of Religion Act 2003, which prohibits a person to force anyone to convert. However, the Rupani government, as per the sources, plan to introduce a separate anti-love jihad law, just like in UP and Madhya Pradesh, under which legal action will be taken against those who try to convert by forcing in the name of marriage or love.
The state government has asked various departments, including the Home and Law, to study the anti-love jihad laws implemented by the UP and Madhya Pradesh governments and check their legitimacy. Government sources said that in the meantime, the state government is also considering implementing the Ordinance before the new law is passed in the Assembly.
According to the Gujarat Act of 2003, a citizen can first apply to the district authority for conversion and seek permission. Under this law, if any person is found to be converting under duress, he can be imprisoned for 3 years and fined up to Rs 50,000 can be imposed.
“The issue (of ‘love jihad’) is being discussed in various states, so it is natural for such discussions to occur here. When the time comes, we will see,” Chief Minister Vijay Rupani said late last month, in the backdrop of an interfaith marriage in Vadodara that triggered a lot of tension in the area. The couple, both aged 23, had registered in a ‘nikahnama’ at a masjid in Mumbai after eloping earlier in December.