On March 5, the Maharashtra government approved a draft anti-conversion bill requiring prior permission from a designated authority for religious conversion.

Titled the Dharma Swatantrya Adhiniyam 2026 (Religious Freedom Act, 2026), the proposed law specifically aims to prevent individuals or organizations from carrying out forced or unlawful religious conversions. It seeks to protect individuals’ freedom of religion by prohibiting coercive or deceptive practices and imposing stringent penalties for violations.

The draft bill will be introduced in both houses of the Maharashtra legislature. If approved, it will be sent to the president for assent before becoming law.

Under the proposed legislation, authorities can imprison those convicted of forced or fraudulent religious conversions for up to seven years and fine them up to the equivalent of $5,400. The law would make these offences non-bailable, allowing the police to register cases when they receive allegations of forced religious conversion.

For those who want to convert, the draft law requires prior approval and a 60-day notice.

The authorities must register the conversion within 25 days; otherwise, it will be considered null and void.

The proposed legislation further provides that if a blood relative of the person seeking conversion files a complaint alleging that the conversion is unlawful, the police may register an FIR (first information report) and initiate an investigation.

Maharashtra proposed its anti-conversion law shortly after the Bihar government announced last week that it is studying anti-conversion laws in other states.

Twelve Indian states already have anti-conversion laws: Arunachal Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, Rajasthan, Uttarakhand, and Uttar Pradesh.

Nitesh Rane, a minister in the Maharashtra government and a leader of the Hindu-nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), stated that the cabinet had approved the anti-conversion law, describing it as fulfilling a promise made ahead of last year’s state assembly elections.

“We had firmly stated during the assembly elections that once we come to power, we will bring a strong anti-conversion law,” Rane said. “Today, I feel a deep sense of satisfaction that such a strong anti-conversion law has been approved by the cabinet.”

The Leader of Opposition in the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly, Vijay Wadettiwar of the Indian National Congress party, expressed concerns about the proposed anti-conversion bill.

“What are they (the Maharashtra government) trying to prove with the anti-conversion bill?” he asked. “There are many other issues in Maharashtra, but they are targeting one religion with this bill.”