Haryana to table bill against 'love jihad' in upcoming budget session

Chandigarh: After Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh another Bharatiya Janata Part governed state, Haryana is set to present an anti-conversion bill against religious conversions. The draft of the "love jihad" bill has been prepared and will be present in the upcoming budget session of the Assembly, Home Minister Anil Vij said here on Thursday.

"We have prepared the draft of the love jihad (anti-conversion) bill. We will be presenting it in the upcoming budget session in Vidhan Sabha," Vij told ANI.

Haryana Home Minister Anil Vij on November 26 had announced that a three-member drafting committee has been formed to frame law on "love jihad" in the state.

Vij had earlier said that the committee comprising T L Satyaprakash (IAS) Secretary Home, ADGP Navdeep Sing Virk (IPS) and Additional Advocate General Deepak Manchanda will also study the love jihad law of other states.

The Uttar Pradesh Legislative Council on February 25 had passed the 'Uttar Pradesh Prohibition of Unlawful Religious Conversion Bill, 2021', which aims to curb religious conversions by fraudulent or any other undue means, including through marriage.

Last year on December 29, the Madhya Pradesh Cabinet had approved the Dharma Swatantrata (Religious Freedom) Ordinance, 2020 to deal with "love jihad" cases in the state.

The Bharatiya Janata Party government in Madhya Pradesh took the ordinance route much like the Uttar Pradesh to enact the law to check forced religious conversion.