Maharashtra passes controversial anti-conversion bill
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Mumbai: The Maharashtra assembly on Monday night passed the controversial Freedom of Religion Bill 2026, which has stringent provisions to prohibit religious conversions carried out through coercion, fraud, inducement or marriage, by voice vote, PTI reported.
As per the Bill, those involved in unlawful conversions on the pretext of marriage will be punished with imprisonment of seven years and shall also be liable for a fine of Rs 1 lakh.
Violations in respect of a minor, a person of unsound mind, a woman or a person belonging to the Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe will be punished with imprisonment of seven years and a fine of Rs 5 lakh.
Mass conversions will have a jail term of seven years and a fine of Rs 5 lakh. Repeat offenders can get a jail sentence of 10 years and a fine of Rs 5 lakh, as per the Bill.
"The proposed anti-conversion law in Maharashtra is not directed against any particular religion, and it aims only to prevent religious conversions carried out through force, fraud or inducement, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis told the assembly.
He noted that several states, including Odisha, Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Haryana, Karnataka and Jharkhand, have already enacted similar laws.
"This bill does not restrict a person's right to follow a religion as guaranteed under Article 25 of the Constitution. The right to religion does not include the right to convert another person through coercion, misrepresentation, fraud or allurement," Fadnavis said and cited rulings of the Supreme Court.
Earlier in the day, Fadnavis told reporters that several women had been lured into relationships, married, and later abandoned, asserting that the bill against fraudulent religious conversion aims to address these issues and curb such practices.