A person who is willing to change the religion now has to submit an application to the district magistrate at least 60 days before the conversion.
The Madhya Pradesh government has issued a new notification after the amendment in the MP Religious Freedom Rules 2021 for the same on Thursday.
According to the notification issued, a conversion done or being made by fear, allurement, deception, fraud etc. has been completely banned by the Religious Freedom Act 2021.
The perpetrators of such acts and accomplices and participants in the said act shall be punished with imprisonment of up to 10 years and a fine of up to Rs 1 Lakh.
Besides, there is a provision to submit an application for complete voluntary conversion in section 10 of the said Act for which the rules have been notified.
According to the notified rules, it will be mandatory for a person who voluntarily changes its religion and for the Dharmacharya, a person who converts the religion, to submit an application to the district magistrate at least 60 days in advance of the conversion.
The notification of the amended rules has been published in the MP Gazette on December 15, 2022.
Recently, Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan took note of religious conversions by saying that an anti-conversion law should be made to stop such acts.
CM Chouhan said, "A stringent law should be enacted to stop the vicious cycle of religious conversion because religious conversion cases are still running in any guise." CM added, "And under the Panchayats (Extensions to Scheduled Areas) Act (PESA), the Gram Sabha has the right to give the land back to the real owner, cornered in a wrong manner or through marrying someone by laying a trap."
Earlier this month, during an event in Indore, CM Shivraj said the state government will not tolerate 'Love Jihad' at any cost and if required, it will bring in stricter laws against it.
"Some people from other religions marry the daughter of a tribal family just to buy land. This is not love, it is 'jihad' in the name of love, and I will not allow this game of 'love jihad' in Madhya Pradesh at any cost," Chouhan said.
