On 16 March the Maharashtra State Legislative Assembly passed the Freedom of Religion Bill 2026, which is now waiting for the assent of the state governor to come into force.
Similar Freedom of Religion laws, widely known as anti-conversion laws, are in force in eleven other Indian states, the intention being to prevent conversion of Hindus to other religions. The laws forbid conversion by “force, fraud or allurement” but extremists use them as a licence to attack Christians, claiming they are forcing Hindus to convert. The offence of unlawful conversion is generally cognisable (police may arrest without a warrant) and non-bailable, and several states have amended their laws in recent years to make them even harsher.
Maharashtra’s state government, which is led by the Hindu-nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party, has described the legislation as a necessary safeguard against forced or fraudulent conversions, but it has been widely opposed by civil society groups, with critics warning that the laws could infringe on constitutional guarantees of freedom of religion or belief and could criminalise charitable and educational work, encourage vigilantism and polarise society.
The bill prohibits conversions through force, coercion, fraud, misrepresentation, threat, undue influence or “allurement” (broadly defined to include offers of money, gifts, employment, free education or marriage) and criminalises “brainwashing through the medium of education and any portrayal of one religion as superior or inferior to induce conversion”.
Anyone wishing to convert must give sixty days’ advance notice to a district magistrate (which may trigger a police inquiry into the circumstances of the intended conversion) followed by notification within 21 days of the conversion taking place.
Religious leaders face a range of penalties including up to seven years’ imprisonment and a fine approximately equivalent to €920 for conversions linked to marriage, and up to seven years’ imprisonment and a fine equivalent to €4,600 if the convert is a minor, woman, person of unsound mind or member of a Scheduled Caste or Tribe. Repeat offenders face up to ten years’ imprisonment.
Chhattisgarh intensifies anti-conversion laws
On 19 March the Chhattisgarh State Legislative Assembly passed its Freedom of Religion Bill, 2026, replacing a 58-year-old law with a harsher one that imposes stricter penalties for allegedly “forced” or “fraudulent” conversions.
Thousands of Christians marched in the state capital Raipur and in districts throughout Chhattisgarh to protest the new law and urge the government to scrap it. Critics warn that it will worsen discrimination and harassment against Christians and say the law is unconstitutional and is designed to harass minorities.
The Progressive Christian Alliance (PCA) said in a press statement, “This Bill is not about protecting religious freedom; it is about systematically restricting and criminalising the legitimate expression of minority faiths – particularly Christianity – in Chhattisgarh.”
The coordinator of the PCA said Chhattisgarh’s 1968 Freedom of Religion Act had already been weaponised against Christians, explaining that “Hundreds of baseless First Incident Reports have been lodged against pastors, evangelists, priests, nuns, and ordinary church members on trumped-up charges of ‘forced conversion’.” No Christian has ever been convicted under the law.
Supreme Court challenge
Meanwhile, petitions challenging the constitutional validity of Freedom of Religion laws in several states are pending before the Supreme Court of India. Petitioners from Christian groups and civil society organisations have challenged the laws on the grounds that they violate the rights to freedom of religion and personal liberty guaranteed by the Constitution. On 2 February 2026 the Supreme Court referred the matter to a three-judge bench because of the constitutional questions involved.
(Christian Solidarity International, Christian Solidarity Worldwide, Indian Express, International Christian Concern, The Hindu)
Map: Church in Chains