Maharashtra: Freedom of Religion bill in Assembly today, strict penalties for forced conversions

Mumbai, March 13 (IANS) The state government is set to table Maharashtra Freedom of Religion Bill 2026 in the Legislative Assembly on Friday, setting in motion the process to identify and punish individuals and organised entities behind ‘forced’ conversions.

The proposed legislation aims to curb religious conversions carried out through force, fraud, or allurement. The state cabinet had given its approval during the meeting held on March 5, following recommendations from a high-level special committee.

The committee, headed by the Director General of Police (DGP), was established on February 14, 2025, to study legal frameworks and draft a robust mechanism to handle complaints related to illegal conversions.

Once the bill receives approval from both houses of the state legislature, it will be sent to the President for assent. The law will come into force after receiving presidential nod.

The agenda circulated by the Maharashtra Legislative Secretariat has listed the tabling of the Bill today in the state assembly after the question hour.

The Bill has proposed stringent administrative requirements and criminal penalties to ensure that conversions are a matter of personal choice rather than coercion.

According to the Bill, individuals intending to convert must provide a 60-day advance notice to the district authorities. Following the conversion, the change must be officially registered within 25 days to be considered legally valid.

Further, the Bill has proposed that blood relatives of a person being converted can file a complaint if they suspect the process involves force or inducement.

Section 14 empowers the state to ban and fine organizations found guilty of facilitating or funding illegal conversions. Section 9 outlines the judicial consequences for offenders with imprisonment up to 7 years of rigorous jail time and a penalty of up to Rs 5 lakh.

The government has maintained that the law is necessary to protect vulnerable individuals from predatory conversion tactics.

Ministers including ports and shopping minister Nitesh Rane, who has been the strong advocate of law against forced conversions, highlighted that while the Indian Constitution guarantees the freedom to practice any religion, it does not grant a right to convert others through “misrepresentation, force, or allurement.”

The legislation follows a trend seen in other states like Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, and Gujarat, which have enacted similar “Freedom of Religion” laws over the past few years.

–IANS

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