The Karnataka Cabinet has decided that the anti-conversion law passed by the previous BJP government will be repealed. Minister for Law and Parliamentary Affairs HK Patil held a press conference regarding the resolutions of the cabinet meeting held on June 15 under Chief Minister Siddaramaiah. The contentious Karnataka Protection of Right to Freedom of Religion Act, 2022, popularly known as the anti-conversion Bill recieved the Governor's assent in September 2022. It was criticised by opposition parties like the Congress, lawyers and activists alike as it was considered to be more stringent than similar laws introduced in Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat. The Siddaramaiah government can repeal the anti-conversion law either by bringing in a Bill to repeal it or by promulgating an ordinance. However, an ordinance will have to be replaced with a Bill within six months.
The Karnataka law said that anyone who does illegal conversion will face a jail term of three to 10 years and a fine of Rs 50,000. It was also passed with the clear intention to deter inter-faith marriages as Section 3 of the Act said that anyone who "converts or attempts to convert, either directly or otherwise, any other person from one religion to another by use or practice of misrepresentation, force, undue influence, coercion, allurement or by any fraudulent means or by any of these means or by the promise of marriage,” will be penalised. A mass conversion according to the law would attract three to ten years imprisonment and a fine of Rs 1 lakh.
The Karnataka law also allowed anyone who has been converted or any person who knows of the conversion to lodge a complaint. In laws passed in other states, a complaint could be filed by family members, any blood relative, or a relative by marriage or adoption, or even an associate or a colleague of the person.
The law also transferred the burden of proof to prove that there was no illegal or forced conversion onto the person who converted or helped a person convert. It also made the process of conversion lengthier and mandated that those who wished to convert had to submit a declaration to the District Magistrate at least 30 days in advance. The District Magistrate would then put up the declaration on the notice board of the office and invite any objections. If there are objections, the DM can order an inquiry.