Rajasthan Govt to introduce stringent version of anti-conversion Bill in Assembly
Unlock Exclusive Insights with The Tribune Premium
Take your experience further with Premium access. Thought-provoking Opinions, Expert Analysis, In-depth Insights and other Member Only Benefits
Advertisement
The Rajasthan government will introduce a more stringent version of a bill to curb religious conversions carried out through coercion, misrepresentation or fraudulent means in the assembly session that starts from Monday.
The proposed legislation includes tough penalties for offenders, with imprisonment ranging from seven to fourteen years and a minimum fine of Rs 5 lakh in general cases. For cases of mass conversion, the bill proposes imprisonment from 20 years to life and a minimum fine of Rs 25 lakh.
State Law and Legal Affairs Minister Jogaram Patel said that Rajasthan currently has no specific law to address illegal conversions. The earlier version of the bill, introduced in the previous session, will now be withdrawn and replaced with a revised draft containing stricter provisions.
The new draft of the Rajasthan Prohibition of Unlawful Religious Conversion Bill, 2025, was approved during a meeting of the state Cabinet chaired by Chief Minister Bhajanlal Sharma on Sunday.
The minister said that the bill prohibits any person or organisation from inducing religious conversion through deception, force, undue influence or fraudulent methods.
It also states that any marriage solemnised solely for the purpose of religious conversion will be declared null and void. All offences under the proposed law will be cognisable and non-bailable. Patel clarified that returning to one's ancestral religion will not be treated as conversion under the bill.
In the proposed legislation, for cases involving minors, women, persons with disabilities or individuals from SC/ST communities, the punishment will range from 10 to 20 years and a minimum fine of Rs 10 lakh.
Accepting foreign or unauthorised funding for the purpose of conversion will attract imprisonment of ten to twenty years and a fine of at least Rs 20 lakh. In offences involving coercion, marriage fraud, human trafficking or vulnerable victims, the punishment will be twenty years to life imprisonment and a fine of no less than Rs 30 lakh, he said.
Repeat offenders may be sentenced to life imprisonment and fined not less than Rs 50 lakh. Institutions involved in unlawful conversion may have their registration cancelled and state grants withdrawn. Properties used for unlawful conversion may be confiscated or demolished after investigation.
BJP governments in many states, including Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat, have enacted laws to check illegal religious conversion.
Advertisement
Advertisement