Lucknow: On Tuesday, the Uttar Pradesh government, under Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, passed a rigorous amendment to the state’s anti-conversion law, significantly escalating the penalties for those convicted of unlawful religious conversion.
The Uttar Pradesh Prohibition of Unlawful Conversion of Religion Act has been revised to include harsher sentences, with life imprisonment now a possible punishment. Previously, the law imposed a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and a fine of Rs. 50,000 for fraudulent or coerced conversions.
Under the new amendments, individuals found guilty of threatening, assaulting, marrying, promising marriage, conspiring against, or trafficking women, minors, or any person with the intent of conversion will face severe consequences.
These offenses, now classified as serious crimes, will result in a sentence of up to 20 years of life imprisonment.
The changes mark a significant shift in the legal landscape regarding conversion practices in the state.
