Maharashtra drafts anti-conversion law
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Mumbai: The Maharashtra government has prepared a preliminary draft of an anti-conversion law targeting alleged forced religious conversions often termed "love jihad" by ruling Mahayuti leaders, sending it to the Law and Judiciary Department for feedback.
Sources say Home and Law officials will hold further talks before finalizing the Bill for this year's Assembly session.
The move follows Gujarat's recent marriage law amendments mandating parental consent, with Deputy CM Harsh Sanghavi warning of "love jihad" games needing strong safeguards for young girls.
Maharashtra's BJP-led government under CM Devendra Fadnavis, fresh from Assembly poll victory, promised this legislation—previously studied by a DGP-headed committee reviewing other states' laws like Rajasthan's.
Fadnavis has clarified opposition targets coercion, fake identities, and conversion-driven harassment in interfaith marriages, not the unions themselves. A February 2025 GR formalized intent to curb such cases.
The issue hit the Supreme Court Monday, where a bench led by CJI Surya Kant issued notices to the Centre and 12 states on the validity of their anti-conversion statutes, as Christian groups argued they spur vigilante violence against minorities.