Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has endorsed the state government’s move to introduce an ‘anti-love jihad’ law, asserting that while interfaith marriages are acceptable, legal action is necessary against fraudulent alliances and false identities. A seven-member committee has been formed to analyze the legal framework for such a law.
Referring to observations by the Supreme Court and Kerala High Court, Fadnavis noted that cases of ‘love jihad’—a term used by right-wing groups for alleged conspiracies involving Muslim men converting Hindu women through marriage—are on the rise in Maharashtra. He claimed that several women have reported being deceived into marriage and later abandoned after childbirth.
In response to increasing complaints, the state government has issued a Government Resolution (GR) to establish a committee led by the Director General of Police (DGP). The panel will study existing laws in other states and recommend legislative measures to prevent forced conversions and fraudulent marriages.
The proposal has sparked sharp political reactions. Union Minister and RPI chief Ramdas Athawale opposed the law, arguing that labelling interfaith marriages as ‘love jihad’ is unfair. Speaking in Shirdi, he stated, “Hindu-Muslim couples, like Dalit and upper-caste couples, unite. It is wrong to term such marriages as ‘love jihad.’ However, there should be legal provisions to prevent forced conversions.”
On the other hand, Maharashtra Minister Mangal Prabhat Lodha supported Fadnavis’s initiative, citing an alarming increase in ‘love jihad’ cases, especially in Mumbai. Lodha criticised Samajwadi MLA Rais Shaikh for opposing the law and filing a case against him, questioning whether such actions were an attempt to “encourage love jihad.”
The proposal for an ‘anti-love jihad’ law has fuelled a heated debate, with critics calling it an attack on personal freedoms and supporters arguing that it is necessary to protect women from deceitful marriages.
