India’s Maharashtra state assembly passed an anti-conversion bill on March 16, ignoring opposition from Christian groups and political parties, paving the way for it to become the 13th Indian state to have such a law.
The passed draft law — the Freedom of Religion Bill 2026 — will become a law once it is approved by the state’s Legislative Council and signed by the state governor, the federal government's representative in the state.
The state’s ruling government, led by the pro-Hindu Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), pushed for the law.
Christian leaders and opposition politicians criticized the move, claiming the draft law could become a tool to oppress and target Muslims and Christians, accusing them of converting Hindus.
The state chief minister, Devendra Fadnavis, told the assembly that the bill seeks to prohibit religious conversions by force, fraud, coercion, inducement, or misrepresentation and proposes stringent penalties.
The bill sets a seven-year jail term for unlawful religious conversions on the pretext of marriage and a fine of 100,000 rupees (US$1,080). The fine will be five times more if the conversion involves a minor, a woman, or a person from the tribal or socially poor Dalit communities.
Repeat offenders face 10 years’ imprisonment and a 700,000-rupee fine.
When the bill was introduced, the Bombay Archdiocese in the state capital, Mumbai, and 30 civic groups opposed it, saying it would be used to choke religious freedom.
“The bill seeks to increasingly weaponize the law to make conditions harsh and expose the prospective interfaith couples wanting to marry to violent reactions from parents, relatives, and neighbors, as anyone can file a fictitious police complaint and harass the couple,” John Dayal, senior journalist and spokesperson of All India Catholic Union, told UCA News.
He said Maharashtra, like other states, has not presented any statistical data or anecdotal evidence to show an extraordinarily dangerous rise in conversion and interfaith marriages to make such harsh laws.
“Maharashtra has enough laws to check and punish any coercion or inducement to change one’s religion, especially when it is alleged that the woman is being pressured to convert to Islam or Christianity,” Dayal noted.
He said that the fact that conversion to Hinduism, even under duress, coercion, or inducement, is not only legitimized but encouraged “reveals the sectarian mindset of the lawmakers and the political pressure behind the bill's passing.
Godfrey Pimenta, a Catholic lawyer and the founder-trustee of Watchdog Foundation, said one of the most debated provisions in the bill is the requirement that individuals seek prior permission or give 60 days' advance notice before conversion.
“This provision infringes upon the fundamental constitutional right to privacy and freedom of conscience,” he told UCA News.
The broad and vague definition of “inducement” could potentially criminalize Christian missionaries’ humanitarian work, including offering education and healthcare, Pimenta noted.
The bill also makes offences non-bailable, allowing police to act on complaints of forced conversion, Pimenta said, adding that it raises the risk of frivolous or motivated complaints, especially in a socially sensitive and polarized environment.
Dolphy Dsouza, spokesperson of the advocacy group, Bombay Catholic Sabha, termed the clauses of the bill “draconian” and warned that they "could be misused against minorities, women, and interfaith marriages.”
The law will “polarize” the society and be used as a tool to harass minorities and interfaith marriages and those who want to convert out of their personal choice or conscience, he added.
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