The Uttarakhand Freedom of Religion (amendment) legislation, 2025 makes fraudulent or forced conversion a cognizable and non-bailable offence.In such cases police can arrest an offender without a warrant and bail will be granted only if the trial court (sessions court) is convinced that the accused is not guilty and would not repeat the offence.The definition of inducement has also been expanded in the bill to include under its ambit any gift, gratification, easy money, or material benefit in cash or kind, employment, free education, promise of marriage, hurting religious faith or glorifying another religion, categorising all of them as crime.It makes punishable the acts like promoting or inciting conversion through social media, messaging app or any online medium.There is a provision in the bill for three to 10 years imprisonment for general violation, five to 14 years in cases related to in cases of conversion of a minor, woman or a person belonging to a scheduled caste or scheduled tribe or a disabled or mentally challenged person and 20 years to life imprisonment in serious cases and heavy fines.The proposed bill also makes a provision for strict punishment for marriage by creating fake identity or hiding religion besides making a provision for protection, rehabilitation, medical, travel and maintenance expenses of the victims of illegal conversions.
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