AMN
Jharkhand Assembly has passed Religious Freedom Bill 2017. It aims to stop the forced conversions in the state. The bill will now be sent to the governor, following whose approval it would go to the President for assent.
While ruling NDA MLAs hailed it as a legislation that should have been implemented right when Jharkhand became a state, opposition members pointed out that penal provisions already exist in the Indian Penal Code.
The Bill has provision for imprisonment of three years and fine of 50,000 rupees or both, and four year imprisonment and 1 lakh rupee fine, or both, if the person converted is a minor, woman or a member of Scheduled Caste or Scheduled Tribe. It also says, that a person converting willingly will have to inform the Deputy Commissioner about details such as time, place and the person who administers the conversion proceedings.