Religious conversion for marriage must be done only after fully knowing the rituals and customs of the chosen faith, an Indian court has said amid controversies surrounding inter-faith marriages in the South Asian nation.
People who convert to marry should be fully aware of “the consequences of such actions,” A.C Michael, a former member of the state-run Delhi Minority Commission, told on Jan. 23, while reacting to the order by the Delhi High Court in India’s national capital.
High Court judge, Swarana Kanta Sharma, cautioned agai-nst religious conversion for the purpose of marriage on Jan. 19.
It is important to inform the individual with exhaustive infor-mation concerning “doctrines, customs, and practices asso-ciated with the chosen faith,” Sharma observed.
Eleven Indian states, most of them ruled by Modi’s party, have enacted a sweeping anti-conversion law, criminalizing religious conversion with a jail term of up to 10 years.
Petitions are pending in the Supreme Court challenging these anti-conversion laws.
Leading states like Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh have criminalized inter-faith marri-ages, especially between Hindu girls with Christian and Muslim boys.
Modi’s party calls Muslim youths marrying Hindu girls “Love Jihad”.