Parliament may take up bill seeking jailing of religious leaders seeking votes for party


Team Udayavani, Dec 4, 2017, 9:23 AM IST

New Delhi: A private member’s bill seeking up to seven years’ imprisonment of religious leaders, who appeal to their followers to vote for a political party, is likely to be taken up for consideration in the winter session of Parliament beginning December 15.

Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) MP Dushyant Chautala has proposed an amendment to the Religious Institutions (Prevention of Misuse) Act, 1988, to restrain religious institutions from acting at the behest of political parties.

“No religious institution or manager or spiritual leader thereof shall issue any direction on appeal to any person or group of persons to vote or refrain from voting in any election in favour of any political party or any individual that election,” according to the bill, introduced in 2015.

“And if any spiritual leader does so, he or she shall be punished with imprisonment for a term which may extend to seven years,” Chautala, an MP from Sirsa in Haryana, has proposed in the Religious Institutions (Prevention of Misuse) Amendment Bill, 2015.

There is also a provision in the bill for Rs 1-10 lakh fine on offenders. The broader objective of this bill is to check politicisation of religion, religious institutions and spiritual leaders. At the same time, it aims at preventing criminalisation of such institutions, he said.

As politicians should not enter into religious activities, similarly religious leaders should not enter into political activities, he said. A private member’s bill is a legislation which any MP can propose in his or her personal capacity. Most of the times these bills don’t enact into a law as they are not proposed by the government.

Udayavani is now on Telegram. Click here to join our channel and stay updated with the latest news.

Top News

Ullal: Auto-rickshaw accident near Konaje claims driver’s life

Congress victory in bypolls not a clean chit to CM in MUDA case: R Ashoka

IPL 2025 | Got someone who can do captaincy job: Ricky Ponting on Shreyas Iyer

Bad timing: Fraudsters call senior Indore cop during press briefing to pull off ‘digital arrest’

Kangana says MVA lost in Maharashtra because it disrespected women

UP: Protest over Sambhal mosque survey turns violent; 3 killed, 20 cops among injured

Ranbir Kapoor says he would love to remake grandfather Raj Kapoor’s ‘Shree 420’

Related Articles More

No one has right to break law: BJP on Sambhal violence

Will review INDI alliance’s dismal performance in Maharashtra, says Tejashwi Yadav

Minor girl out with friend raped in MP forest; truck driver, associate held

Kangana says MVA lost in Maharashtra because it disrespected women

UP: Protest over Sambhal mosque survey turns violent; 3 killed, 20 cops among injured

MUST WATCH

Coconut Flower

Prakash Belawadi

Naxal Leader Vikram Gowda

Christmas Cake Fruit Mixing

DK Shivakumar


Latest Additions

No one has right to break law: BJP on Sambhal violence

Ullal: Auto-rickshaw accident near Konaje claims driver’s life

Congress victory in bypolls not a clean chit to CM in MUDA case: R Ashoka

IPL 2025 | Got someone who can do captaincy job: Ricky Ponting on Shreyas Iyer

Will review INDI alliance’s dismal performance in Maharashtra, says Tejashwi Yadav

Thanks for visiting Udayavani

You seem to have an Ad Blocker on.
To continue reading, please turn it off or whitelist Udayavani.