The Haryana government on 19 December released a notification titled ‘Haryana Prevention of Unlawful Conversion of Religion Rules, 2022’ dated 15 December that prevents forcible religious conversions. As per the new rules, a person will not be permitted to convert or adopt another religion for the purpose of marriage.

The state has also prescribed rigorous processes and scrutiny by the District Magistrate (DM) that will enable the person to change his or her religion. As per the rules, any person intending to change his or her religion shall give a written declaration to the DM, specifying the reasons for conversion. And a religious priest who intends to organise conversion will also have to give prior notice to the DM. The administration will verify the matter of conversion and will refer the case to the police for registration of FIR and investigation if it is satisfied that the conversion is wilful and without any misrepresentation, use of force, threat, undue influence, coercion, allurement or by any fraudulent means or by marriage or for marriage.

Further, the rules state, “The burden of proving innocence that the conversion was not affected through misrepresentation, use of force, under threat, undue influence, coercion, allurement or by any fraudulent means or by marriage or for marriage for the purpose of carrying out conversion shall be on the accused.”

The rules also require the accused to pay monthly maintenance and expenses of the proceedings to the aggrieved party. In cases where a child is born in the marriage, the accused will also have to pay maintenance to the child till he is a minor.

“At the time of declaring the marriage as null and void, or at any time subsequent thereto, the Court may order the accused to pay such gross sum or such monthly maintenance or periodical amount (for a term not exceeding the life of the accused),” the rules state.

These new rules, the Haryana Prevention of Unlawful Conversion of Religion Rules, 2022, have been notified by the Haryana governor under the Haryana Prevention of Unlawful Conversion of Religion Act, 2022, passed earlier in March this year.