Owaisi alleges Yogi govt 'persecuting Muslim men' by Love Jihad law after 91 cases booked

Lashing out at Uttar Pradesh CM Yogi Adityanath, AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi on Saturday, alleged that new Love Jihad ordinance was aimed at 'persecuting Muslim men'. Reacting to a report stating that 78 of 91 booked under new law were Muslims, Owaisi said that laws serve public interest but allow criminal mobs to w interfere even more in private lives of citizens. Allahabad High Court is currently hearing pleas challenging law. As of w Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh governments have passed laws against 'Love Jihad', while Haryana, Karnataka, Gujarat and Assam too are planning to pass such laws. 

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Owaisi: 'Persecutes Muslim men'

Allahabad HC makes publication of 30-day tice under Special Marri Act optional

Allahabad HC's order on interfaith marris

On 12 January, Allahabad High Court ruled that publication of tice and inviting objections under Special Marri Act is t mandatory. Justice Vivek Chaudhary's order came on a plea where a Muslim woman who had converted to Hinduism and married a Hindu man was kept under detention by her far. Though woman was reunited with her husband after HC's intervention, court expanded scope of matter. 

Justice Chaudhary, in judgment, observed that procedure of publishing tice and inviting objections for intended marri should t violate fundamental rights. While holding that parties to intended marri have choice of telling Marri Office to t publish tice, court has empowered Marri Officer to verify details of parties such as , valid consent, etc. Petitioners in this case also ted that challenge for interfaith couples might increase owing to promulgation of Uttar Pradesh Prohibition of Unlawful Conversion of Religion Ordinance, 2020. 

UP's 'Love Jihad' law explained: What is it and how is different from or states' laws

UP's law against 'Love Jihad'

While law does t mention 'love Jihad' or defines term, it makes forceful religious conversion, including through marri, punishable with a jail term of 1-5 years with Rs 15,000 penalty. Moreover, if woman is a mir or belongs to Scheduled Caste or Scheduled Tribe, jail term will be between 3-10 years and penalty upto Rs 25,000. law also punishes mass conversions with jail term is of 3-10 years and fine of Rs. 50,000 on organisations conducting it. Currently, anti-conversion laws are in force in Arunachal Pradesh, Odisha, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Himachal Pradesh, Jharkhand, and Uttarakhand.

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