u201cThe state government is going to move the Supreme Court to challenge the high courtu2019s interim order, which restrains it from prosecuting under section 10 of the MPFRA adults who solemnize the marriage of their own volition,u201d Advocate General Prashant Singh.Video Courtesy: Times NowThe MP Freedom of Religion Act, passed by the state assembly in March 2021, had taken over from the previous law on the subject formulated in 1968. The act was passed to tackle the problem of forced conversion by any forceful means. Madhya Pradesh was the third state to implement such kind of law, Himachal Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh had also implemented such kind of law to stop forced conversion. The order of the MP high court is for section 10 of the act which states, Any person willing to convert needs to apply to the District Magistrate 60 days in advance and shall submit a declaration stating that person wants to undergo a religious conversion of their own free will and without any force, coercion, undue influence, and allurement. Also, the religious leaders facilitating the conversion will have to inform the District Magistrate 60 days before the intended date of conversion.The lawyers for the petitioners argued that a citizen had the right to not disclose oneu2019s religious identity to the state and marry a person of their choice irrespective of their religion or caste. Through the Act, the lawyers argued, disclosing the religious identity or intention to convert could lead to communal tension. This is a genuine concern as a declaration could also lead to the family getting threats from enraged community members. However, forced conversion is an important issue but it needs to get tackled without taking the rights of a person by making the process of inter-religious marriage more secretive as well as taking only limited information about the adults who wanted to get married.
