Raj anti-conversion bill gets House nod
Rajasthan assembly passes strict anti-conversion bill, imposing up to life imprisonment and ₹50 lakh fine for fraudulent religious conversions.
Jaipur: The Rajasthan assembly on Tuesday passed a bill that proposes stringent punishment for religious conversions by fraudulent means and deception, including up to imprisonment for life and ₹50 lakh fine, with the state government saying the proposed law is crucial to maintain social harmony.
The Rajasthan Prohibition of Unlawful Religious Conversion Bill, 2025, popularly known as the anti-conversion bill, was passed by a voice vote, amid sloganeering by Opposition Congress members who did not take part in the debate.
Introducing the bill, minister of state for home Jawahar Singh Bedham said it seeks to curb religious conversions through fraudulent or coercive means. While Article 25 of the Constitution guarantees freedom of religion to every individual, it does not support conversion through deceit, inducement, fear or fraud, he said, adding the bill is crucial to maintain social harmony and ensure a secure future in the state.
The bill defines unlawful conversion as any attempt to change a person’s religion through “misrepresentation, misinformation, coercion, undue influence, allurement, online solicitation, marriage or pretext of marriage, or any other fraudulent means including propaganda.”
It provides for punishment ranging from seven to 14 years in jail and a fine of up to ₹5 lakh for conversion through fraudulent means. Conversion of minors, women, members of the scheduled castes, scheduled tribes and persons with disabilities through deceit would attract a jail term of 10 to 20 years and a fine of at least ₹10 lakh.
The bill further stipulates that mass conversions will attract imprisonment of 20 years to life and a fine of not less than ₹25 lakh. Receiving foreign or illegal funds for conversion activities would invite rigorous imprisonment of 10 to 20 years and a fine of at least ₹20 lakh under the proposed law. If the victim belongs to vulnerable groups, the punishment may extend to life imprisonment with fines up to ₹30 lakh. Repeat offenders may be sentenced to life imprisonment and fined up to ₹50 lakh.
The return of people already converted to their “original religion” will not be deemed conversion, the bill states.
The minister pointed out that several states, including Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Karnataka, Haryana and Himachal Pradesh, have already enacted similar anti-conversion laws.
