New Delhi: The Uttarakhand Governor has sent back two key amendment Bills of the Dhami government for reconsideration, one pertaining to the Uniform Civil Code (UCC) and the other aimed at a more stringent anti-conversion law, ThePrint has learnt.
Sources in the government told ThePrint that the office of Governor Lt Gen Gurmeet Singh (Retd) had returned the two amendment bills due to technical issues including drafting errors.
Uttarakhand is the first and only state in the country that has implemented the UCC till date. In August, changes were brought to the UCC in a bid to tackle procedural challenges, modernise penalty provisions etc.
The Uttarakhand Freedom of Religion (Amendment) Bill, approved by the cabinet of the BJP-ruled state in August, introduced stricter provisions against forced or fraudulent religious conversions.
Both the UCC and the anti-conversion law have faced pushback and been the subject of much controversy.
“There were some technical issues, grammatical issues and drafting errors owing to which the (anti-conversion) Bill was returned earlier this month,” said a senior state government official, requesting anonymity.
Speaking to ThePrint, another official said the issue is being looked into, though the government has the option to promulgate an ordinance to bring the law into force immediately.
When the Bill was cleared by the cabinet in August, the Uttarakhand government had issued a press statement that said the amendment defines inducement broadly, making it a criminal offence to attempt conversion by offering money, gifts or job opportunities, promising free education, deceiving with a marriage proposal, or using social media for promotion. Concealing one’s religion with the intent to marry will also be treated as a crime, punishable with three to ten years of imprisonment and a fine of Rs 3 lakh.
The Uttarakhand Freedom of Religion Act, 2018, stipulated a prison term of up to five years for anyone convicted of “forced or fraudulent” religious conversion through coercion, incitement, or allurement.
The 2022 amendment stipulated a jail term of not less than two years which may extend to seven years with a fine not less than Rs 25,000. Moreover, if the “forcibly” converted person was a minor, a woman, or an individual belonging to Scheduled Castes or Scheduled Tribes, the punishment would include imprisonment for two to 10 years and a minimum Rs 25,000 fine.
Under the 2025 amendment, fraudulent conversion will attract between three to 10 years in jail and a minimum fine of Rs 50,000. If the victim is a minor, woman, SC/ST individual, or a person with disability, the punishment will be five to 14 years in jail and a fine of at least Rs 1 lakh.
(Edited by Gitanjali Das)
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