Congress of the MLA, who protests on the assembly on Tuesday. | Photo Credit: Neither
On Tuesday, Rajasthan’s Assembly approved a bill to prevent religious conversions with strict provisions against strength, fraud, costs or coercion, punished by steep punishments, including a life prison. Those returning to their “ancestors’ religion” were liberated from the law.
The opposition Congress MLA boycotted the debate on the bill and organized an internship and claimed that the new legislation would disrupt social harmony and create tensions in society. A similar bill, which was previously submitted to the Assembly in February this year, was withdrawn and replaced by a new law.
The Rajasthan prohibition of illegal transformation of the Act on Religion, 2025, contains provisions for life in life, fines up to 1 crore and seizure and demolition of real estate if there is a mass conversion. The fines imposed on the perpetrators will be paid by the victims, in addition to the compensation granted by the court.
Previous attempts
In 2006, the then Chief Minister Vasundhara Raja tried to adopt the law against conversion in Rajasthan, but the then President Pratibha Pedil returned the bill after the opposition of congress, groups of human rights and minority organizations. In 2008, a modified version of the bill was stuck in the center.
In 2017, the High Court in Rajasthan issued instructions in 2017 to prevent “violent conversions”, ordering that conversion is only possible for adults and requires previous indication of the district judge and public display of the intention.
Foreign Minister (MOS) for domestic Jawahar Singh Bedham said in the assembly that the passage of the law would prepare the way to maintain “peace and harmony” in society. “Our Sanatana Dharma has always been liberal, which is reflected according to Article 25 of the Constitution … but does not support religious conversion by fraud, fear and fraud,” he said.
The draft law under which crimes will be, will stipulate the court of the meeting, unemployable and triable, stipulate that the marriage carried out solely for transformation will be declared invalid and the conversions carried out before or after these marriages will be considered unlawful.
Bill’s passage made Rajasthan the latest state of Bharatiya Janat to bring legislation aimed at limiting alleged violent religious conversions. Similar laws exist in states such as Uttar Pradesh, Haryan, Uttarakhand, Arunacal Pradesh and Andr Pradesh.
Published – 10 September 2025 01:14 IS
