Uttarakhand Freedom of Religion Act 2018
Offences (non-bailable), Requirements or Prohibited Actions
No person shall convert or attempt to convert, directly or otherwise, any other
person from one religion to another by use of misrepresentation, force, undue
influence, coercion, allurement or by any fraudulent means or by marriage nor
shall any person abet or conspire such conversion. (Section 3)
A marriage for the sole purpose of religious conversion, between persons
belonging to different religions, for which a man converts himself or converts
the woman, before or after the marriage. (Section 6)
Any person who desires to convert his religion shall give a declaration at least
one month in advance in the prescribed format to the District Magistrate of the
District in which he is permanently resident. (Section 8)
The religious priest who performs a conversion ceremony shall give one
month’s advance notice in the prescribed format to the District Magistrate of
the district where the ceremony is proposed to be performed. (Section 8)
Institution or organization violating the provisions of this Act (Sections 10, 11)
The burden to prove that a conversion was not facilitated by any means prohibited under the Act shall be upon the accused person.
The burden to prove that a religious conversion is voluntary and genuine shall be upon the person converted. (Section 13)
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Corresponding Punishment or Consequence
The person who converts another shall be punished with
imprisonment for a term ranging from 1 year to 5 years and also be
liable to fine.
If the person converted is a minor, woman, or belongs to a Scheduled
Caste or Scheduled Tribe, the person who converts that person will
be punished with imprisonment for a term ranging from 2 years to 7
years and shall also be liable to fine. (Section 5)
The marriage may be declared null and void, by the Court having
jurisdiction to such a case, on a petition presented by either the
husband or the wife against the other. (Section 6)
If not followed, the conversion shall be rendered illegal and void, and
the convert shall be punished with imprisonment for a term ranging
from 3 months to 1 year and shall also be liable to fine. (Section 8)
If not followed, the priest shall be punished with imprisonment for a
term ranging from 6 months and 1 year and shall also be liable to
fine. (Section 8)
The person(s) in charge of the affairs of the organization or institution
shall be given the same punishment provided in Section 5.
The registration of the organization may be cancelled, and that
person/organisation disallowed from accepting any donations from
India or abroad. (Sections 10,11)