A 24-year-old Muslim man has been arrested and remanded to judicial custody below the just lately promulgated Karnataka Safety of Proper to Freedom of Faith Act for allegedly changing a girl below the pretext of marrying her, police mentioned, including that that is the primary case below the brand new legislation which was notified on September 30.
“We registered the FIR on October 13 below Part 5 of the Act and arrested Syed Mueen, a resident of BK Nagar in northern Bengaluru. He runs a rooster stall in our station limits and the household of the lady alleged that he had forcefully transformed their 19-year-old daughter to Islam on the promise of marriage,” Vinayak Patil, deputy commissioner of police (north), advised HT.
“Whoever contravenes the provisions of Part 3 (Prohibition of conversion from one faith to a different faith by misrepresentation, drive, fraud or by the promise of marriage) shall, with out prejudice to any civil legal responsibility, be punished with imprisonment of both description for a time period of three years however which can lengthen to 5 years and shall even be liable to nice of ₹25,000,” in line with Part 5 of the legislation.
In accordance with police, the lady’s household hails from Uttar Pradesh and so they have been dwelling in Bengaluru for previous 10 years. Her father was working as a painter within the metropolis and her mom is a homemaker.
“The primary criticism was registered on October 5, when the mom filed a lacking criticism. On October 8, the lady got here residence. She got here to the police and mentioned that she had married on her personal will. Nonetheless, she advised the police and her household that she had transformed to Islam after marrying him. Following this the mom filed a criticism for compelled conversion,” mentioned an official of Yashwantpura police station.
The officer added that probe revealed that Mueen took the lady to a dargah in Penukonda in Andhra Pradesh the place the non secular conversion ceremony was carried out. “We have now registered a case based mostly on the mom’s criticism, since below Part 4 of the Act, any transformed individual, his mother and father, brother, sister or some other one that is said to him by blood, marriage or adoption or in any kind related or colleague could lodge a criticism about such conversion. So, we’ve acted in accordance with the legislation,” the official mentioned.
The officer identified that regardless that the lady denied that she was compelled to transform, as per the legislation, any one that wishes to vary his/her faith is required to offer a declaration not less than 30 days upfront to the district Justice of the Peace or the extra district Justice of the Peace.
Advocate BT Venkatesh mentioned, “If conversion has taken place outdoors the state, the legislation is not going to be relevant. However, now police and household have put the onus of proving this on the accused.”