Women Activists Sound NHRC of Regressive Love Jihad Law

Over 1500 signatories, from a collective called 'Adult Women of India', has written to the National Human Rights Commission on behalf of women of India expressing concerns about Uttar Pradesh's new "love jihad" law.

The petition states that the Uttar Pradesh Prohibition of Unlawful Conversion of Religion Act, or the "love jihad law" is a "brazen clampdown on the fundamental rights of women."

The new law is called a "prime example of patriarchal fear-mongering" and reduces women to "naive repositories of male honour."

It adds that the assumption that adult women must be "saved" from conversion goes against the very spirit of the Constitution.

The signatories argue that while the Love-Jihad law seeks to 'give justice to women', it only succeeds in stopping women from exercising their fundamental rights of faith, liberty, bodily autonomy, and equality among others.

Taking note of the first few arrests made by the UP Police under the law, the complaint says, "Conviction under the provisions of this draconian anti-conversion law will attract significant limitations on personal liberty."

This is particularly true due to the illegal retrospective application of the law that will falsely implicate innocent citizens who were exercising their rights.

The signatories are concerned that the regressive law is likely to be notified in multiple other states in the country, emboldening those who seek to destroy the secular fabric of the country and making this a national concern.

The collective cites the incident of forced abortion by the UP Police in Moradabad, on December 12, while her husband was held at an unknown prison for allegedly coercing her to convert from Hinduism to Islam upon marriage.

The complaint notes that the Supreme Court has, time and again, reaffirmed the right to choose one's partner but the state has brought forth a "law patently susceptible to misuse" in blatant contravention of established precedent.

The collective urged the NHRC to issue a notice to the DG of the UP Police calling for a detailed report of the cases registered under the law in question so far. It hopes that NHRC will take suo moto cognizance and investigate the grievances of those booked under the Act, and facilitate interim relief and grant compensation to those illegally booked.

It also pressed for the provision of police protection to any interfaith couple that intends to marry so as to prevent undue harassment and stressed the importance of timely action, censuring the new law as one set to "shake the democratic foundation of India."

(Niharika Ravi is a student at School of Law, NMIMS, Navi Mumbai, and an intern with The Leaflet. The views are personal.)