On 21st July 2022, Bharatiya Janata Party’s MLA Nitesh Rane demanded an anti-conversion law in Maharashtra citing the recent regime change in the state. Nitesh Rane said that like Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat, Maharashtra should also have an anti-conversion law so that innocent women can be saved from being trapped and harassed.
Nitesh Rane tweeted, “Now that we have a Bhagwadharis ruling in Maharashtra. It’s time we bring ANTI CONVERSION LAW like UP, MP, Gujarat, and many other states. We need to protect innocent women from being trapped and harassed!! Let’s begin soon Jai Shree Ram”
It is notable that in the last month, 50 MLAs in the Maharashtra state legislative assembly left the then Maha Vikas Aghadi government. Out of these 50 MLAs led by Eknath Shinde, 40 were from Shiv Sena. This group of MLAs joined hands with Bharatiya Janata Party to form a new government in the state. The coup in the Shiv Sena was apparently because the MLAs in the Eknath Shinde camp wanted to take ahead the Hindutva ideology of the late Shiv Sena Supremo Balasaheb Thackeray and Eknath Shinde’s political guru late Anand Dighe.
Nitesh Rane has cited the same ideology saying that there is a rule of Bhagwadharis in Maharashtra and therefore there should be an anti-conversion law in Maharashtra just like other BJP-ruled states like Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka, and Gujarat.
According to the anti-conversion law passed by the Karnataka government, forced conversion is an offense punishable by a jail term of three to five years and a fine of rupees 25000. The bill states that the conversion of a minor, a woman, or an SC/ST person can attract a jail term of 3 to 10 years and a fine of Rs 50,000. Not only this, a jail term of three to 10 years and a fine of up to One lakh rupees can be awarded for mass conversion.
The Yogi government had brought an ordinance in this regard in 2020. According to this, in case of illegal conversion of a minor or scheduled caste or scheduled tribe woman, the convict can be punished with imprisonment ranging from 3 to 10 years and a fine of Rs 25,000. In case of mass conversion, there is a provision of imprisonment ranging from 3 to 10 years and a fine of Rs. 50,000. The license of the concerned organization will also be canceled. Also, according to this rule, if the conversion has not been done forcibly and if there has been no cheating, and the conversion is not done with the sole purpose of marriage, it will be the responsibility of the converter and the person who has been converted.