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MUMBAI: Maharashtra govt connected Friday introduced a measure with stringent provisions to forestall spiritual conversions done coercion, fraud, oregon matrimony if it involves inducement, coercion oregon deceit, joining different BJP-governed states that person enacted 'freedom of religion' laws. The Freedom of Religion Bill, 2026, tabled successful the legislative assembly for statement sets a situation word of 7 years for persons "involved successful unlawful conversions connected the pretext of marriage" and a good of Rs 1 lakh. Treating the offence arsenic non-bailable, the measure makes it mandatory for an serviceman heading a constabulary presumption to registry a complaint. Civil nine bodies person opposed it, saying laws are being weaponised to make a clime of fearfulness against inter-faith marriages.
The measure says immoderate kid calved retired of a matrimony oregon a "relationship successful the quality of a marriage" owed to unlawful conversion shall beryllium "deemed to beryllium to the religion of the parent earlier specified matrimony oregon relationship".
It mandates that immoderate idiosyncratic intending to convert, arsenic good arsenic immoderate idiosyncratic oregon instauration organising a conversion ceremony, indispensable springiness announcement successful a prescribed signifier astatine slightest 60 days successful beforehand to the competent authority.
Upon receiving this, the authorization volition show the details connected the announcement committee of its bureau arsenic good arsenic astatine the bureau of the colony panchayat oregon the section authorization concerned. It volition invitation objections from the nationalist wrong 30 days of its publication. The measure requires that the converted idiosyncratic and idiosyncratic oregon instauration organising the ceremonial taxable a declaration to the authorization wrong 21 days aft the conversion.
It allows relatives by blood, matrimony oregon adoption to lodge an FIR if they fishy unlawful conversion. The measure besides prescribes a jailhouse word of 7 years on with a good of Rs 5 lakh for those "involved" successful wide conversions. Repeat idiosyncratic offenders whitethorn get a jailhouse condemnation of 10 years and good of Rs 5 lakh. Inducements that whitethorn beryllium treated arsenic amerciable see gifts, employment, education, a amended manner oregon divine healing. The load of impervious that a conversion was not carried retired successful usurpation of the provisions of the Act volition prevarication connected the idiosyncratic who caused, assisted oregon abetted the conversion. The bill, described arsenic draconian by critics, says "forceful" and "involuntary" spiritual conversions successful the authorities are increasing. "The close to state of religion guaranteed nether the Constitution of India is not absolute, but is su-bject to nationalist order, morality, wellness and to different provisions of Part III of the Constitution relating to the cardinal ri-ghts of citizens," says the bill. Dolphy D'Souza of The Bombay Catholic Sabha said, "We are precise disappointed that the measure was tabled without discussions with assorted stakeholders who are going to beryllium affected. It takes distant the close to one's conscience to travel the religion of their prime oregon wed a spouse of their choice. We impulse the absorption to rise their voices and besides request that it beryllium referred to a prime committee for treatment arsenic immoderate of the clauses are draconian, to accidental the least.
" Legal challenges against anti-conversion laws by civilian rights groups specified arsenic Citizens for Justice and Peace person been taken up by HCs successful Karnataka, UP, Uttarakhand and MP. Sections of these laws person been stayed and states person gone earlier SC.
