Karnataka to scrap BJP government's anti-conversion law

The changes approved by the state cabinet Thursday also included the history syllabus in schools and even a law on agricultural markets, said HK Patil, the state's Law & Parliamentary Affairs minister, after the cabinet meeting. 

The law against religious conversion through coercion, misrepresentation, or allurement, adopted by many BJP-ruled states, was introduced in Karnataka through an Ordinance or executive order in May last year. 

A bill to replace it was later introduced in the state assembly in September.

The law became a flashpoint between the BJP and the Congress and was contended to a tool for harassment of minorities.

"Our law is capable of stopping conversion that is forced through incentives and threats. Then what is the need for a new law? The only reason is to threaten and harass minorities," Siddaramaiah had told the media last year.

The matter even went to court, where Christian organisations argued that the new law violated the religious freedom guaranteed by the Constitution.

Former Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai then argued the bill was constitutional with the purpose of stopping the forcible religious conversion and protecting Dalits and women. The bill's objective was to maintain public order as conversions create tension between communities.