Centre has asked president Pratibha Patil not to give assent to the Madhya Pradesh Dharma Swatantrya (Amendment) Bill that seeks to curb freedom of voluntary conversion.
Close on the heels of dispatching the controversial Gujarat Control of Organised Crime Bill back to the state, the Centre has asked president Pratibha Patil not to give assent to the Madhya Pradesh Dharma Swatantrya (Amendment) Bill that seeks to curb freedom of voluntary conversion.
The BJP-ruled MP government recently sent the bill, passed by the state assembly, for presidential assent despite former solicitor general E Vahanvati, who is now attorney general, declaring that the move violated constitutional provisions. The MP governor had sought the solicitor general’s opinion after state law officials gave the government the go-ahead, saying the bill was in accordance with the spirit of the constitution.
Sources said home minister P Chidambaram had written to the president, urging her not to OK the bill. There is a feeling in the ministry that the MP government might use the proposed law to harass new converts. The bill has a provision that anyone wanting to change his/her religion would have to inform the district magistrate in advance about his/her intent. Persons wishing to attend the ceremony would also have to approach the DM.
The row began after the MP advocate general (AG) and the solicitor general of India gave contrasting views on the issue. It was only after the AG gave the green signal that the governor referred the bill to the solicitor general, who felt the legislation would violate sections 24, 25 and 26 of the constitution. The original law of the MP government, Madhya Pradesh Religious Freedom Act, 1968, bans conversion by force, allurement and fraud.
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