Jamiat opposes Maharashtra anti-conversion law, cites threat to religious freedom
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Mumbai: Jamiat Ulama-e-Hind has voiced strong opposition to the Maharashtra Freedom of Religion Act, 2026, which is scheduled to come into force on August 28, saying the legislation could erode constitutional safeguards relating to freedom of religion, privacy and individual choice.
In a statement, Jamiat president Maulana Mahmood Asad Madani said the country’s identity rests on its religious and cultural diversity. He argued that the right guaranteed under Article 25 of the Constitution would lose its meaning if citizens were not free to choose their faith.
Madani said the Maharashtra law follows the pattern of anti-conversion legislations enacted in Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh, which have been challenged by Jamiat before the Supreme Court.
He expressed concern over terms such as “allurement” and “fraudulent conversion”, saying their broad interpretation could criminalise peaceful religious preaching and propagation.
According to Madani, religious teachings concerning salvation, spiritual reward or life after death could potentially be construed as inducement under the law. Such provisions, he said, could interfere with the right to freely profess and propagate one’s religion.
He also objected to provisions requiring declarations before conversion, police verification and disclosure of personal details. Madani said these conditions placed an unjustified burden on an individual’s freedom of conscience and personal decision-making.
“The state cannot acquire this constitutional right to become the guardian and arbiter of any citizen’s private conscience and religious choice,” he said, warning that similar laws elsewhere had resulted in the prosecution and imprisonment of many people.
Jamiat clarified that it supported action against conversions carried out through force, coercion, deception or fraud. However, Madani said legislation intended to protect religious freedom should not itself become a tool to curb that freedom or target any particular community.
The Maharashtra Home Department has notified that the Act will take effect from August 28. It makes conversion punishable if it is allegedly carried out through force, threats, fraud, misrepresentation, coercion, inducement or undue influence. It also covers conversions linked to marriage or promises of marriage.
The law places the responsibility of proving that a conversion was voluntary on the person who facilitated it. It provides enhanced penalties in cases involving minors, women, Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and persons of unsound mind.
The Maharashtra Legislature passed the Bill earlier this year. It subsequently received the President’s assent and was notified by the state government on July 31.
Samajwadi Party leader S.T. Hasan had earlier said voluntary conversion was legally permissible, while conversion through force or inducement should not be allowed. He warned that the legislation could harm communal harmony.
Congress leaders also raised objections to the law. Husain Dalwai said adults should be allowed to choose their faith, while Surendra Rajput called for wider consultations before the legislation is enforced.