Interfaith Marriages Are Fine But Fraud Isn't: CM Fadnavis Backs 'Anti-Love Jihad' Law In Maharashtra

Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has voiced his support for the state government's move to introduce an 'anti-love jihad' law. The initiative involves setting up a seven-member committee of experts to examine the legalities surrounding the issue.

Speaking on the matter, Fadnavis emphasised that while interfaith marriages themselves are not problematic, steps need to be taken against matrimonial alliances through fraud and false identity.

Fadnavis, in his statement on Sunday, pointed to observations made by the Supreme Court and Kerala High Court regarding the existence of 'love jihad'. The term is commonly used by right-wing activists to describe allegations of Muslim men conspiring to convert Hindu women to Islam through marriage.

According to Fadnavis, such incidents have been on the rise in Maharashtra, where women have reported being deceived into marriage, only to be abandoned after children are born.

The state government has issued a Government Resolution (GR), forming a committee led by the Director General of Police (DGP) to address complaints related to 'love jihad' and forced conversions. The committee will evaluate legal frameworks from other states and recommend appropriate legislation to curb these issues.

The move follows petitions from various organisations and citizens, urging the government to enact a law to prevent fraudulent marriages and forced conversions. Several states in India have already introduced similar laws, prompting Maharashtra to consider a similar approach after evaluating the current situation.

However, the initiative has faced criticism from some quarters. Ramdas Athawale, the president of the Republican Party of India (RPI) and Union Minister of State for Social Justice, voiced his opposition to the proposed 'love jihad' law. Athawale, speaking to the media in Shirdi, stated, “I oppose the love jihad law. It is incorrect to label interfaith marriages as 'love jihad.' Hindu-Muslim couples, like Dalit and upper-caste couples, come together, and it is not right to term such marriages as 'love jihad.' I do not agree with this. However, I believe there should be provisions in the law to prevent forced conversions.”

Maharashtra Minister Mangal Prabhat Lodha praised Fadnavis for setting up the committee, claiming that the number of 'love jihad' cases has been rising in the state, particularly in Mumbai, and said that while the number of such cases has increased across the country, many remain unreported.

“Love jihad cases have increased across the country. In Mumbai, there have been many cases. When someone tries to put an end to love jihad, as I put forward this issue in the Vidhan Sabha, people like Samajwadi MLA Rais Shaikh oppose this. He filed a court case against me. Does he want to encourage love jihad?” he said.