A VIEW ON ANTI-CONVERSION LAWS IN INDIA

Abstract

India, the world's biggest democratic country, is home to people of various religious backgrounds who are regulated by divergent family laws and so treated unequally by the state and society. India's main population is Hindu. Muslims, Christians, and a few other religions each have a sizable following. Tolerance is an odd but necessary civic virtue in a pluralistic society. Ancient Indian writings demonstrate that ancient culture incorporated the values of universal toleration and acceptance. Individuals must learn to live peacefully and in harmony with people and behaviours they despise. However, changes on their own are immobile in this universe. It is not novel for individuals to make tactical modifications in their own beliefs in order to conform to their self-interest. When individuals gain various benefits based on their spiritual allegiance and have the freedom to profess, practise, and propagate any religion, a prescription for quick religious conversion is always created. Thus, religion is a highly volatile subject in India, and religious conversion adds to the problem's volatility. Conversions of this nature present a legal difficulty. As a result, numerous state governments have implemented anti-conversion legislation in order to prevent conversions caused by pressure or seduction. Such restrictions have come under fire for allegedly violating one's right to religious freedom. Additionally, these legislation garner a high level of political scrutiny. These laws are implemented by political parties with the purpose of attracting a sizable voting base. These laws are dubbed 'uncivil proposals' because they identify a specific segment of society as a possible threat, so paving the path for increased marginalisation of minority communities. The purpose of this article is to explore religious conversion in light of existing constitutional laws, judicial rulings, and secularism. This article discusses the difficulties that interfaith weddings confront in the face of anti-conversion legislation. This section also analyses and critiques anti-conversion legislation.