Maharashtra's new Freedom of Religion Bill 2026 introduces stringent measures to combat religious conversions through coercion, fraud, or marriage, imposing significant penalties and mandatory reporting requirements.
I
Key Points
- Maharashtra's Freedom of Religion Bill 2026 introduces strict penalties, including imprisonment and fines, for religious conversions through coercion, fraud, inducement, or marriage.
- The bill mandates a jail term of up to seven years and a fine of Rs 1 lakh for unlawful conversions on the pretext of marriage, with higher penalties for conversions involving minors, women, or members of Scheduled Castes and Tribes.
- Individuals intending to convert and those organising conversion ceremonies must provide 60 days' advance notice to the district magistrate, who will then invite public objections.
- The burden of proof lies on the person who facilitated the conversion to prove it was not unlawful, and offences under the law are cognisable and non-bailable.
- The bill includes provisions for rehabilitation support for victims of unlawful conversion and arrangements for the maintenance and custody of children affected by such cases.
The Devendra Fadnavis government on Friday introduced in the state assembly the Maharashtra Freedom of Religion Bill 2026, which has stringent provisions to prohibit religious conversions carried out through coercion, fraud, inducement or marriage.
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 fine of Rs 1 lakh.
Violations in respect of a minor, person of unsound mind or woman or person belonging to Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe will be punished with imprisonment of seven years and fine of Rs 5 lakh.
Mass conversions will have a jail term of seven years and fine of Rs 5 lakh. Repeat individual offenders can get jail sentence of 10 years and fine of Rs 5 lakh, as per the Bill.
The Bill makes it mandatory for the officer in charge of the police station to register a complaint made by any person.
The Bill seeks to protect the constitutional right to freedom of religion while banning conversions effected through allurement, force, misrepresentation, undue influence or fraudulent means, according to the draft legislation.
Under the proposed law, no individual or institution will be allowed to convert or attempt to convert a person from one religion to another by offering gifts, money, employment, free education, promise of marriage, better lifestyle or divine healing, which are classified as "allurement".
The bill also prohibits conversions carried out through marriage or promise of marriage if such acts involve inducement, coercion or deceit, according to the draft legislation.
In the Bill's statement of objects and reasons, the government said incidents of forceful and organised religious conversions have been reported in various parts of the country and vulnerable sections are often targeted through inducements.
While the Constitution guarantees freedom of religion, the right is subject to public order, morality and health, and does not include the right to forcibly convert another person, as per the Bill.
If enacted, Maharashtra will join states like Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka and Uttarakhand that have enacted similar laws to regulate religious conversions.
"The objective is to protect the right to freedom of religion. It also aims to prohibit unlawful religious conversions carried out through coercion, fraud, inducement or marriage," said Minister of State for Home Pankaj Bhoyar, who introduced the bill in the assembly.
The Bill defines coercion as the act of compelling a person or group to convert against their will, while mass conversion is conversion of two or more persons simultaneously.
Unlawful conversion is one done through force, fraud, misrepresentation, coercion, undue influence, or inducement.
The Bill lays down that no person or institution can convert or attempt to convert another person through allurement, coercion, deceit or misrepresentation, force or threat, fraudulent means and undue influence.
Mandatory notice for conversions
The Bill mandates that any person intending to convert from one religion to another, as well as any individual or institution organising a conversion ceremony, must give a notice in a prescribed form at least 60 days in advance to the competent authority.
The competent authority, as per the Bill, is the district magistrate or an officer authorised by the state government.
Upon receiving such notice, the competent authority will publicly display details of the proposed conversion on the notice board of its office as well as at the office of the village panchayat or the local authority concerned and invite objections from the public within 30 days of its publication.
The Bill further requires that the converted person and the individual or institution organising the ceremony submit a declaration to the competent authority within 21 days after the conversion.
It also allows the converted person's parents, siblings or relatives related by blood, marriage or adoption to lodge a first information report (FIR) if they suspect unlawful conversion and mandates the police to register such complaints.
Under the proposed law, the burden of proof that a conversion was not carried out in violation of the provisions of the Act will lie on the person who caused, assisted or abetted the conversion.
The Bill states that offences under the proposed law will be cognisable and non-bailable, with investigation being conducted by a police officer not below the rank of sub-inspector.
The government also proposed provisions for rehabilitation support to victims of unlawful conversion and arrangements for maintenance and custody of children affected by such cases.
© 2026