Karnataka's anti-conversion law weaponised for harassment, false cases, personal vendettas
Bengaluru: A recent report by The News Minute, reveals that Karnataka’s anti-conversion law is being used to harass citizens, often for personal grudges or in the guise of protecting religious sentiments. Numerous individuals, including those from marginalised backgrounds, claim false accusations of religious conversion have been levelled against them, masking caste discrimination or personal vendettas.
One such case is of Somanna (name changed), a Dalit resident of Haveri district. He has been attending court almost monthly for over a year due to a complaint filed against him in February 2023, accusing him of converting people to Christianity. However, he alleges the true issue was caste-based hostility in his village, Balambida, where he had faced discrimination for teaching local children from different castes. The anti-conversion accusation, he claims, was used to disguise casteist abuse after he refused to stop the Sunday prayer meetings he hosted.
Introduced by the BJP in December 2021, Karnataka's anti-conversion law, The Karnataka Protection of Right to Freedom of Religion Act, criminalises conversions allegedly induced through "allurement" or "temptations." Critics, including legal experts, argue that the law’s ambiguous language makes it susceptible to misuse.
Between May 2022 and June 2024, 30 cases under the anti-conversion law have been reported across Karnataka, according to the State Crime Records Bureau. Although the Congress government pledged to repeal the law after assuming power, it later deferred the decision, citing the impending Lok Sabha elections.
Reports show that 21 cases were filed under the BJP-led government, with nine additional cases occurring post the Congress takeover in May 2023. Interviews by ‘The New Minute’, with several of the accused and legal professionals suggest that the law is frequently wielded as a weapon of harassment rather than protection.
In another case from Bengaluru, a complaint was filed in October 2022 against an interfaith couple. The woman’s mother accused her daughter’s partner, Suhail (name changed), of coercing her daughter into conversion. The woman, however, denied these claims and has openly defended her relationship, challenging her mother’s allegations.
Other incidents highlight similar misuse. In Vijayapura district, Ganga (name changed), an ASHA worker, was terminated after community members accused her of attempting conversions. Harassment in her village escalated, with locals even cutting off her water and electricity supply. Despite a favourable High Court order reinstating her, her return to work has been marked by ongoing intimidation.
The misuse of Karnataka's anti-conversion law reflects historical debates on religious freedom, a topic heavily discussed in the Constituent Assembly while framing Article 25. Proponents of the right to propagate cited the freedom to share one’s faith, while others expressed concern about potential abuses of influence. Despite this, the right to propagate remains enshrined in India’s Constitution, though anti-conversion laws, including Karnataka’s, restrict this under claims of “inducement.”
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
Maharashtra Cong chief Nana Patole scrapes through in Sakoli, wins by 208 votes
Mumbai, Nov 23: Maharashtra Congress president Nana Patole survived a scare from his nearest BJP rival in the Sakoli assembly constituency but managed to win the tight contest by a narrow margin of 208 votes.
Patole, the incumbent Congress MLA from Sakoli, polled 96,795 votes, while his challenger from BJP, Avinash Brahmankar, came tantalisingly close to bagging 96,587 votes.
Independent nominee Somadatta Karanjekar was a distant third, bagging 18,309 votes.
While Patole managed to save the face with the thin margin, the Congress unit led by him and the Maha Vikas Aghadi were routed by the BJP-led Mahayuti in the one-sided contest.
