Activists seek repeal of anti-conversion law

Activists and members of various social organisations have demanded that the law against religious conversion passed by some states be immediately repealed.

Under the constitutional provision of right to freedom of religion, individuals have been given the right to choose and change their religion, Gautamiputra Kamble, president of the Secular Movement, Maharashtra, said addressing a conference held on the issue in Mumbai on Sunday.

"We do not deny that conversion by force or inducement is a constitutional offence, but to enact a law for political motives and for the supremacy of a particular religion is an encroachment of the fundamental right to freedom of religion given by the Constitution," he said.

The conference participants also demanded dissolution of a committee set up by the Maharashtra government to study and gather information on interfaith and inter-caste marriages.