Devendra Fadnavis says SC certificates will be cancelled for non-Hindus

Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Thursday said that if a person belonging to a religion other than Hinduism Buddhism or Sikhism has obtained a Scheduled Caste certificate fraudulently it will be cancelled reported news agency PTIAction will be taken against such a person if he or she has secured reservation benefits such as government jobs If such a person has won an election using a fraudulently obtained SC certificate their election will be declared null and void Fadnavis said in the legislative councilReplying to a calling attention motion he also said the state government intends to bring in strong provisions to deal with cases of religious conversion through coercion and cheatingAmit Gorkhe BJP had claimed that freedom of religion was being misused by crypto Christians and some people benefit from reservations under the SC category while professing other religions reported PTICrypto Christians was an apparent reference to people who discreetly follow Christianity while belonging to a different religion on paper reported PTIOn the face of it they belong to an SC community and get reservation benefits like government jobs he had saidFadnavis said that the Supreme Court on November 26 2024 gave a verdict in which it made it clear that the Scheduled Castes category reservation can be availed only by Hindus Buddhists and Sikhs and not by those belonging to other religionsIf anyone from religions other than Hinduism Buddhism and Sikhism has availed an SC certificate or reservation their validity certificates and caste certificates will be cancelled with due procedure If anyone has availed benefits like government jobs action will be taken against them he said reported PTIRecovery of monetary benefits will be recommended from those who have availed benefits using fraudulently obtained caste certificates he said reported PTIBJP leader Chitra Wagh said there have been cases where women were duped into marriage by hiding the husbands religionShe cited a case in Sangli where a woman married into a family which secretly followed Christianity The woman suffered torture and was forced to change her religion leading to her death while she was seven months pregnant Wagh saidA person can follow any religion and convert another person with consent but law does not permit the use of force cheating or enticement for conversion the chief minister saidComplaints of coercion or inducement for conversion will lead to investigation and action against the concerned organisation Fadnavis added reported PTIThe state government had formed a panel headed by the Director General of Police DGP to make recommendations to deal with such cases and it has submitted its report he said reported PTIThe government will study it and bring in new legal provisions so that conversions do not happen by force or cheating he saidAction can be taken under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita BNS in such cases But a panel was formed to suggest strict provisions The state government intends to bring in strong provisions to deal with such cases and we will take a decision on this soon he said reported PTIOn Monday Pankaj Bhoyar Minister of State for Home said that the state will bring an anticonversion law during the winter session of the legislature and it will be more stringent than similar legislations in other statesPravin Darekar BJP claimed a secret campaign to lure people into converting was being carried out in poor localities and slumsFadnavis acknowledged that such things take place in slums He however said the government has no intention to ban religious conversions that take place consensuallyWith inputs from PTI