OFFICAL ENGLISH TEXT OF RAJASTHAN BILL NUMBER 12 OF 2006

Be it enacted by the Rajasthan State Legislature in the Fifty-seventh year of the Republic of India as follows:

1. Short Title, extent and commencement:

(1) This Act may be called the Rajasthan Swatantrya Act, 2006

(2) It extends to the whole State of Rajasthan

(3)It shall come into force at once.

2. Definitions – In this Act, unless this otherwise requires,

(a) “unlawful� means which is in contravention of the provisions of this Act

(b) “allurement� means offer of any temptation in the form of –

(i)any gift or ratification, either in cash or kind;

(ii)grant of any material benefit, either monetary or otherwise

(c) �conversion� means renouncing one’s own religion and adopting another

Explanation: Own religion means religion of one’s forefathers;

(d) “force� includes show of force or threat of injury of any kind including threat of divine displeasure or social excommunication;

(e) “fraudulent� means and includes misrepresentation or any other fraudulent contrivance.

3. Prohibition of conversion – No person shall convert or attempt to convert either directly or otherwise any person from one religion to another by use of force or by allurement or by any fraudulent means nor shall any person abet such conversion.

4. Punishment for contravention of provisions of section 3 – Whoever contravenes the provisions of section 3 shall, without prejudice to any other criminal liability, be punished with simple imprisonment for a term which shall not be less than two years but which may extend to five years and shall also be liable to a fine, which may extend to fifty thousand rupees.

5. Offence to be cognisable and non-bailable – Any offence under this Act shall be cognisable and non-bailable and shall not be investigated by an office below the rank of Deputy Superintendent of Police.

6. Power to make rules -- (1) The State government may make rules for the purpose of carrying out the provisions of this Act.

(2) All rules made under this act shall be laid, as soon as may be, after they are so made, before the House of the State legislature, while it is in session, f a period of not less than fourteen days day which may be comprised in one session or in two successive sessions and if, before the expiry of the session in which they are so laid or the session immediately following, the House of the State Legislature makes any modification in any of such rules or resolves that any such rule should not be made, such rule shall, thereafter, have effect only in such modified form or be of no effect, as the case may be, so however, that any such modification or annulment shall be without prejudice to the validity of anything previously done thereunder..

STATEMENT OF OBJECTS AND REASONS

It has been observed by the State Government that some religious and other institutions, bodies and individuals are found to the involved in unlawful conversion from one religion to another by allurement or by fraudulent means or forcibly which at times has caused annoyance in the community belonging to the other religion. The inter-religious fabric is weakened by such illegal activities and causes land and order problem for the law enforcing machinery of the State.

In order to curb such illegal activities and to maintain harmony amongst persons of various religions, it has been considered expedient to enact a special law for the purpose

The Bill seeks to achieve the aforesaid objective

Hence the Bill

Gulabdchand Katariya

Minister in Charge

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