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The Tamil Nadu government on Saturday night promulgated an ordinance banning religious conversions by use of force.
Governor P S Ramamohan Rao said the ordinance would be placed before the assembly, commencing on October 24.
The ordinance, called the Tamil Nadu Prohibition of Forcible Conversion of Religion Ordinance, 2002, proposes a three-year imprisonment and a fine of up to Rs 50,000 for those who 'force' or 'induce' conversions.
The penalty will be four years and Rs 100,000 if the conversion relates to women, minors, or schedule castes and schedule tribes.
Those presiding over such conversions could be jailed for up to a year if they fail to report such incidents to the district administration.
Among the first to welcome the ordinance were Kanchi Sankaracharya Jayendra Saraswati and the Bharatiya Janata Party.
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