The Maharashtra government has established a seven-member committee to examine legal avenues for a potential law addressing forced religious conversions and ‘love jihad.’ Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis emphasized the seriousness of such incidents and the need for action.
Speaking on the issue, CM Fadnavis stated, “The Supreme Court has also shown the reality of love jihad in its decision and endorsed it. And even in a state like Maharashtra, we are constantly seeing that such cases are increasing. First of all, we all should understand that it is not wrong for a person of one religion to marry a person of another religion. But marrying someone by lying and showing false identity is wrong. These incidents that are happening are very serious, action must be taken on this.”
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The committee, led by the state’s Director General of Police (DGP), includes senior officials from key departments such as women and child welfare, minority affairs, law and judiciary, social justice, special assistance, and home affairs. It has been tasked with studying similar laws in other states and recommending legal measures to address complaints regarding forced conversions and ‘love jihad.’
The decision has been welcomed by several BJP leaders, including Union Minister Ramdas Athawale, who remarked, “There should be a law against love jihad. The conversion of women is not right. Two youngsters (of different religions) coming together is normal but girls shouldn’t be forcefully converted.”
Maharashtra Minister Mangal Prabhat Lodha also commended Fadnavis for setting up the panel, asserting that ‘love jihad’ cases have been increasing in the state, particularly in Mumbai. He stated, “Love jihad cases have increased across the country. In Mumbai, Maharashtra, there have been many cases. When someone tries to put an end to love jihad, as I put forward this issue in the Vidhan Sabha, people like Samajwadi MLA Rais Shaikh oppose this. He filed a court case against me. Does he want to encourage love jihad?”
He further added, “There are numerous other cases that have gone unreported as well; I don’t even want to get into that list. I want to thank Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis for forming this committee. Stringent action will be taken in this regard.”
However, the move has drawn criticism from Congress leader Husain Dalwai, who opposed the formation of the committee, arguing that forced conversion is not possible under India’s constitutional framework. He stated, “How can someone be converted forcefully? Our Constitution allows us to follow any religion or not follow any religion at all. They (Maharashtra government) don’t have the right to decide who marries who.”
The Mahayuti-NDA government in Maharashtra recently set up this panel to assess the legal and technical aspects of drafting legislation on ‘love jihad,’ with the state’s DGP heading the initiative.
