The Uttar Pradesh Assembly on July 30 passed the U.P. Prohibition of Unlawful Conversion of Religion (Amendment) Bill, 2024, which provides for a maximum punishment of life imprisonment, making the law stricter in cases of fraudulent or forced conversion.

Earlier the maximum punishment provided for those found guilty of marrying a woman by deceiving her and converting her religion was 10 years with a fine of ₹50,000.

Parliamentary Affairs Minister Suresh Khanna introduced the Uttar Pradesh Prohibition of Unlawful Conversion of Religion (Amendment) Bill, 2024 in the House on July 29. It has been proposed that if a person threatens, attacks, marries or promises to marry or conspires for it, or traffics a woman, minor or anyone with the intention of conversion, then his crime will be placed in the most serious category. In such cases, there is a provision of 20 years imprisonment or life imprisonment.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/wayanad-landslides-rahul-gandhis-urgent-plea-for-government-aid-as-death-toll-rises-to-84-in-indias-kerala-745572">Wayanad landslides: Rahul Gandhi's urgent plea for government aid as death toll rises to 84 in India's Kerala</a>

Under the amended provisions, any person can register an FIR in conversion cases. Earlier, to give information or a complaint, the presence of the victim, her parents, or siblings was necessary. It has been proposed that such cases will not be heard by any court below the Sessions Court and along with this, the bail plea will not be considered without giving an opportunity to the public prosecutor. Also, all the crimes under the amended Act have been made non-bailable.

Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath had taken this initiative with the intention of curbing 'love jihad'.

An ordinance was issued for curbing forced conversion in November 2020 and later, after the bill was passed by both the houses of the Uttar Pradesh Legislature, the Uttar Pradesh Prohibition of Unlawful Conversion of Religion Act-2021 came into force.

Disclaimer: This story has been published from a news agency feed with minimal edits to adhere to WION's style guide. The headline may have been changed to better reflect the content of the story or to make it more suitable for WION&nbsp;audience.

The Uttar Pradesh Assembly on July 30 passed the U.P. Prohibition of Unlawful Conversion of Religion (Amendment) Bill, 2024, which provides for a maximum punishment of life imprisonment, making the law stricter in cases of fraudulent or forced conversion.

The Uttar Pradesh Assembly on July 30 passed the U.P. Prohibition of Unlawful Conversion of Religion (Amendment) Bill, 2024, which provides for a maximum punishment of life imprisonment, making the law stricter in cases of fraudulent or forced conversion. Earlier the maximum punishment provided for those found guilty of marrying a woman by deceiving her and converting her religion was 10 years with a fine of ₹50,000. Parliamentary Affairs Minister Suresh Khanna introduced the Uttar Pradesh Prohibition of Unlawful Conversion of Religion (Amendment) Bill, 2024 in the House on July 29. It has been proposed that if a person threatens, attacks, marries or promises to marry or conspires for it, or traffics a woman, minor or anyone with the intention of conversion, then his crime will be placed in the most serious category. In such cases, there is a provision of 20 years imprisonment or life imprisonment. Also read: Wayanad landslides: Rahul Gandhi's urgent plea for government aid as death toll rises to 84 in India's Kerala Under the amended provisions, any person can register an FIR in conversion cases. Earlier, to give information or a complaint, the presence of the victim, her parents, or siblings was necessary. It has been proposed that such cases will not be heard by any court below the Sessions Court and along with this, the bail plea will not be considered without giving an opportunity to the public prosecutor. Also, all the crimes under the amended Act have been made non-bailable. Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath had taken this initiative with the intention of curbing 'love jihad'. An ordinance was issued for curbing forced conversion in November 2020 and later, after the bill was passed by both the houses of the Uttar Pradesh Legislature, the Uttar Pradesh Prohibition of Unlawful Conversion of Religion Act-2021 came into force. Disclaimer: This story has been published from a news agency feed with minimal edits to adhere to WION's style guide. The headline may have been changed to better reflect the content of the story or to make it more suitable for WION audience.

UP govt passes bill to curb religious conversions, brings stringent penalties for ‘love jihad’

The Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath-led government in Uttar Pradesh on Saturday banned ministers from carrying their mobile phones in cabinet meetings.

The ban on mobile phones has reportedly been put at the behest of the Chief Minister Yogi.

All ministers will now have to leave their phones outside while a cabinet meeting or an official meeting with Adityanath is in progress.

The last cabinet meeting of the UP cabinet was held on May 28, the rule will become applicable from the next meeting as and when it is called by the UP Chief Minister.&nbsp;

The Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath-led government in Uttar Pradesh on Saturday banned ministers from carrying their mobile phones in cabinet meetings. The ban on mobile phones has reportedly been put at the behest of the Chief Minister Yogi.

The Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath-led government in Uttar Pradesh on Saturday banned ministers from carrying their mobile phones in cabinet meetings. The ban on mobile phones has reportedly been put at the behest of the Chief Minister Yogi. All ministers will now have to leave their phones outside while a cabinet meeting or an official meeting with Adityanath is in progress. The last cabinet meeting of the UP cabinet was held on May 28, the rule will become applicable from the next meeting as and when it is called by the UP Chief Minister.

No ministers should carry mobile phones during cabinet meetings: Yogi Adityanath

Priyanka Gandhi Vadra has got down to business. A day after a roadshow and being with her mother-in-law in Jaipur, the newly-appointed Congress general secretary and east UP in charge met the party workers and sought details of their social media accounts.

The politicians and party workers who want to meet Priyanka are given a form asking for basic information like age, electoral experience, whether they have held any organisational positions, their Twitter handles and WhatsApp numbers.

The information about Twitter handles is being sought to gauge the social media presence of the individual.

Congress has been late on this platform but realised its importance in shaping public opinion. Just days ago, Priyanka Gandhi also made a debut on Twitter and got lakhs of followers in just a few hours. 
 
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BSP president Mayawati also opened a Twitter account recently in the run-up to the Lok Sabha elections. There was a time when her party used to say that BSP supporters do not watch TV and don't get influenced by surveys. This myth was shattered both in the last Lok Sabha elections as well as Uttar Pradesh assembly elections where BSP suffered major reverses. It is for this reason that Congress wants to map social influencers within its own organisation.

The WhatsApp number is being sought because Congress wants to create a feedback and direct communication mechanism with every person within the party's eco-system. It wants to turn a platform made for personal communication into a broadcast mechanism. The BJP used WhatsApp brilliantly in Gujarat and snatched the elections from the jaws of defeat.

The collation will allow Data Analytics department in Delhi to create faster and honest feedback for the leadership.

But what makes this form truly Indian is that it also asks for the caste and sub-caste status of an individual. The caste system is India's hard and ugly reality and no political party in the country gives tickets without taking caste into consideration. So is the case with Congress.

Every party speaks against the caste system. Indian Constitution intends to correct social inequity caused by the caste system through the reservation. Even then political parties do not move away from the caste matrix.&nbsp;

This is the irony of the Indian politics that commitment to erase caste from public life remains only on paper and seminar halls.&nbsp;

(Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL.)

Priyanka Gandhi Vadra has got down to business. A day after a roadshow and being with her mother-in-law in Jaipur, the newly-appointed Congress general secretary and east UP in charge met the party workers and sought details of their social media accounts.

Priyanka Gandhi Vadra has got down to business. A day after a roadshow and being with her mother-in-law in Jaipur, the newly-appointed Congress general secretary and east UP in charge met the party workers and sought details of their social media accounts. The politicians and party workers who want to meet Priyanka are given a form asking for basic information like age, electoral experience, whether they have held any organisational positions, their Twitter handles and WhatsApp numbers. The information about Twitter handles is being sought to gauge the social media presence of the individual. Congress has been late on this platform but realised its importance in shaping public opinion. Just days ago, Priyanka Gandhi also made a debut on Twitter and got lakhs of followers in just a few hours. BSP president Mayawati also opened a Twitter account recently in the run-up to the Lok Sabha elections. There was a time when her party used to say that BSP supporters do not watch TV and don't get influenced by surveys. This myth was shattered both in the last Lok Sabha elections as well as Uttar Pradesh assembly elections where BSP suffered major reverses. It is for this reason that Congress wants to map social influencers within its own organisation. The WhatsApp number is being sought because Congress wants to create a feedback and direct communication mechanism with every person within the party's eco-system. It wants to turn a platform made for personal communication into a broadcast mechanism. The BJP used WhatsApp brilliantly in Gujarat and snatched the elections from the jaws of defeat. The collation will allow Data Analytics department in Delhi to create faster and honest feedback for the leadership. But what makes this form truly Indian is that it also asks for the caste and sub-caste status of an individual. The caste system is India's hard and ugly reality and no political party in the country gives tickets without taking caste into consideration. So is the case with Congress. Every party speaks against the caste system. Indian Constitution intends to correct social inequity caused by the caste system through the reservation. Even then political parties do not move away from the caste matrix. This is the irony of the Indian politics that commitment to erase caste from public life remains only on paper and seminar halls. (Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL.)

Hard to ignore? Congress form asks for caste along with Twitter, WhatsApp

The opposition Samajwadi Party on Saturday expressed disappointment with security in the Uttar Pradesh Assembly&nbsp;after 60 grams of a suspicious white powder packet was found during an ongoing session yesterday, saying the set up is lacking and needs to be looked into, ANI&nbsp;said.

&quot;This is a sad incident that explosives have been found in the assembly, which means security is at fault, and which should be looked into. It is the responsibility of the government to look after the security of the assembly,&quot; said Samajwadi Party leader Shivpal Singh Yadav.

A First Information Report was filed against a person still unknown. UP&#39;s Inspector Genral of the Anti Terrorist Squad (ATS), Aseem Arun, said the discovery of the explosive, Pentaerythritol Tetranitrate, suggested there might be a possibility that this was a terrorist act.&nbsp;

&quot;We will scan through the CCTV footage and will do a detailed investigation of the spot today,&quot; Aseem Arun said.

Meanwhile UP&nbsp;Chief Minister, Yogi Adityanath,&nbsp;called for a National investigative Agency (NIA)&nbsp;probe.

&quot;The packet of the explosive was found under the chair of the Opposition&#39;s leader. It was 150 grams&nbsp;of PETN. 500 grams&nbsp;of PETN is enough to blow the whole Assembly off. This shows the severity of the situation. I suggest that everybody present in the Assembly should be investigated by the police and that the NIA should investigate into the matter,&quot; he said.

It is unclear where the 150 gram figure that Adityanath cited came from. Various media reported the number at 60 grams, or about 60.&nbsp;

&quot;It&#39;s unfortunate that the largest Assembly of the country doesn&#39;t have a QRT,&quot; Adityanath&nbsp;added. He&nbsp;also said&nbsp;this incident could be in connected&nbsp;with a terrorist or militant group, and said that the security of the state and the country is paramount.

&nbsp;

This comes a day after 60 grams of a powerful explosive was found in the Uttar Pradesh Assembly

The opposition Samajwadi Party on Saturday expressed disappointment with security in the Uttar Pradesh Assembly after 60 grams of a suspicious white powder packet was found during an ongoing session yesterday, saying the set up is lacking and needs to be looked into, ANI said. "This is a sad incident that explosives have been found in the assembly, which means security is at fault, and which should be looked into. It is the responsibility of the government to look after the security of the assembly," said Samajwadi Party leader Shivpal Singh Yadav. A First Information Report was filed against a person still unknown. UP's Inspector Genral of the Anti Terrorist Squad (ATS), Aseem Arun, said the discovery of the explosive, Pentaerythritol Tetranitrate, suggested there might be a possibility that this was a terrorist act. "We will scan through the CCTV footage and will do a detailed investigation of the spot today," Aseem Arun said. Meanwhile UP Chief Minister, Yogi Adityanath, called for a National investigative Agency (NIA) probe. "The packet of the explosive was found under the chair of the Opposition's leader. It was 150 grams of PETN. 500 grams of PETN is enough to blow the whole Assembly off. This shows the severity of the situation. I suggest that everybody present in the Assembly should be investigated by the police and that the NIA should investigate into the matter," he said. It is unclear where the 150 gram figure that Adityanath cited came from. Various media reported the number at 60 grams, or about 60. "It's unfortunate that the largest Assembly of the country doesn't have a QRT," Adityanath added. He also said this incident could be in connected with a terrorist or militant group, and said that the security of the state and the country is paramount.

Samajwadi Party's Shivpal Yadav questions government on UP Assembly security

The maiden session of the newly elected UP Assembly began on a stormy note on Monday&nbsp;with opposition members throwing paper balls at the podium and the marshals trying to dodge them with files.

The customary address of governor Ram Naik to the joint sitting of the two Houses of the state legislature was drowned in the uproar created by the opposition.

Slogan-shouting opposition members trooped into the Well despite Speaker Hridaya Narain Dixit&#39;s appeal at an all-party meeting to ensure smooth proceedings.

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<h5>Saara Uttar Pradesh dekh raha hai aap ko (the entire Uttar Pradesh is watching you),&#39; a visibly annoyed governor told the shouting members, who kept throwing papers at the podium and creating a din.</h5>
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The governor was flanked by Dixit and chairman of the Legislative Council Ramesh Yadav.

Chief minister Yogi Adityanath was present when the governor read the address despite the bedlam.

The address is a note prepared by the government highlighting its achievements.

For the first time, the proceedings were telecast live by Doordarshan.

After the BJP came to power in the state, a decision was taken to telecast live the proceedings of the House so that people could benefit.

&quot;Saara Uttar Pradesh dekh raha hai aap ko (the entire Uttar Pradesh is watching you),&quot; a visibly annoyed governor told the shouting members, who kept throwing papers at the podium and creating a&nbsp;din.

The opposition SP and BSP have decided to take on the Yogi Adityanath government on the law and order front.

(PTI)

Opposition members threw paper balls at the podium

The maiden session of the newly elected UP Assembly began on a stormy note on Monday with opposition members throwing paper balls at the podium and the marshals trying to dodge them with files. The customary address of governor Ram Naik to the joint sitting of the two Houses of the state legislature was drowned in the uproar created by the opposition. Slogan-shouting opposition members trooped into the Well despite Speaker Hridaya Narain Dixit's appeal at an all-party meeting to ensure smooth proceedings. Saara Uttar Pradesh dekh raha hai aap ko (the entire Uttar Pradesh is watching you),' a visibly annoyed governor told the shouting members, who kept throwing papers at the podium and creating a din. × The governor was flanked by Dixit and chairman of the Legislative Council Ramesh Yadav. Chief minister Yogi Adityanath was present when the governor read the address despite the bedlam. The address is a note prepared by the government highlighting its achievements. For the first time, the proceedings were telecast live by Doordarshan. After the BJP came to power in the state, a decision was taken to telecast live the proceedings of the House so that people could benefit. "Saara Uttar Pradesh dekh raha hai aap ko (the entire Uttar Pradesh is watching you)," a visibly annoyed governor told the shouting members, who kept throwing papers at the podium and creating a din. The opposition SP and BSP have decided to take on the Yogi Adityanath government on the law and order front. (PTI)

Pandemonium reigns on day 1 of UP assembly session