Report No. 18

7. Sham conversions.-

There is one other aspect of the matter which calls for mention. In the evidence which was taken by us in connection with the legislation on marriage and divorce among Christians in India, it was strongly pressed on us that sham conversions were resorted to for the purpose of defeating the rights of the wife under the marriage, and that to prevent such conversions there should be enacted a provision that the convert should be governed by the personal law which applied to him prior to conversion for a period of three years thereafter. Though we appreciate the purpose behind this suggestion, we do not find any need to adopt it. We have provided,1 that a marriage entered into prior to conversion subsists until it is dissolved according to law, and that no action for dissolution can be instituted within two years of such conversion. These provisions are ample safeguards against sham conversions and sufficient to protect the legitimate rights of the spouse who remains unconverted.

1. Appendix I, clauses 3 and 6.