‘Love Jihad’: Maharashtra CM Wants Law, MP CM Seeks Death. Where Other States Stand On Illegal Religious Conversions

Last Updated:March 09, 2025, 14:14 IST

Illegal religious conversions or love jihad: How will Maharashtra bring in the anti-conversion law? Is conversion illegal in India? What does the Constitution say? How many states in India have such laws? What are the objections?

Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis (left) and MP CM Mohan Yadav. (PTI File)

Maharashtra chief minister Devendra Fadnavis on Saturday pushed for a “love jihad law" in the state, saying the government has received over 100,000 complaints of illegal conversions and that there is a “methodical madness" behind them. Meanwhile, Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav recently said that his government would make a provision for the death penalty for religious conversion of girls, along the lines of punishment for rape of minors.

On February 4, 2025, the Rajasthan government tabled the Rajasthan Prohibition of Unlawful Conversion of Religion Bill, 2025, which seeks to criminalise religious conversion through the means of coercion, fraud, force, and marriage.

While Fadnavis said the law’s enactment will be based on the findings of a committee formed last month under state police chief Rashmi Shukla “to prevent love jihad and fraudulent or forced conversions", Rajasthan has now joined other states that have passed anti-conversion laws.

Is conversion illegal in India? How many states have such laws?

WHAT IS ‘LOVE JIHAD’?

Although jihad is not a negative term, it has gained additional attention in recent decades through its use by Islamic terrorist groups. Hence, the term ‘love jihad’, as used by politicians means marrying someone with a sole intent to convert them to one’s religion.

RELIGIOUS CONVERSIONS

Article 25 of the Indian Constitution guarantees the freedom to practice, profess, and propagate any religion, which includes the right to convert voluntarily, without coercion or force.

Article 16 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, to which India is a signatory, recognizes inter-faith marriages as a part of human rights.

There is no national law explicitly regulating religious conversions.

However, several states have enacted anti-conversion or ‘Freedom of Religion’ laws to prohibit conversions through fraudulent means, undue influence, or allurement.

IN MAHARASHTRA

The CM has tasked the committee with evaluating the current situation, handling complaints of ‘love jihad’ and forced religious conversions, examining the laws of other states, establishing legal frameworks and reviewing legal implications.

“Various organisations in the State and some citizens submitted representations regarding enacting a law to prevent love jihad and fraudulent or forced conversions. Some States in India have also enacted laws to prevent love jihad and fraudulent or forced conversions," the government order read. There is no stipulated time frame for the report.

Meanwhile, during the Maharashtra Assembly’s ongoing budget session, BJP legislators Atul Bhatkhalkar and Sudhir Mungantiwar introduced a private member’s bill, seeking to enact a law against religious conversions allegedly taking place under the guise of marriage. The bill proposes legal provisions to curb what the BJP calls “one-sided religious conversions" occurring after marriage. It seeks to introduce strict measures to ensure that any individual intending to convert to another religion must declare their intent to the district magistrate at least 60 days in advance. Additionally, religious priests conducting the conversion would also be required to inform the authorities before proceeding. Failure to adhere to these provisions could result in legal consequences, including imprisonment ranging from six months to three years and fines between Rs 10,000 and Rs 50,000.

MAHA OPPOSITION

Opposition parties and activists have criticised the Bill, calling it an attempt to polarise society along religious lines. The Congress, Shiv Sena (UBT), and NCP (Sharad Pawar faction) have questioned the necessity of such legislation, arguing that existing laws in India already address issues of forced conversions and fraudulent marriages. They believe that the Bill could be misused to harass interfaith couples and restrict personal freedoms.

THE STATES THAT HAVE PASSED ANTI-CONVERSION LAWS

Uttar Pradesh: The Uttar Pradesh government passed the Prohibition of Unlawful Conversion of Religion (Amendment) Bill – 2024 while amending the existing anti-conversion bill, which proposes stricter rules, life imprisonment from the existing sentence of 10 years and hefty fines of up to Rs 10 lakh.Rajasthan: The Prohibition of Unlawful Conversion of Religion Bill prescribes severe penalties for forced conversions, including imprisonment ranging from two to ten years and fines up to Rs 25,000. Conversions involving minors, women or individuals from Scheduled Castes (SC) and Scheduled Tribes (ST) carry harsher penalties, with jail terms between three and ten years and fines of Rs 50,000.Arunachal Pradesh: Although the Arunachal Pradesh Freedom of Religion Act 1978 was passed by the state in 1978 and President’s assent received, this law was not implemented in Arunachal Pradesh for over four decades. In September 2024, the Itanagar Bench of the Gauhati High Court, after hearing a petition, ordered the government to frame rules for this within six months.Chhattisgarh: The state is set to replace its existing anti-conversion law with a new one like Uttar Pradesh’s draconian anti-conversion law to make it difficult to change one’s religion.Gujarat: The Gujarat government in 2024 clarified that Buddhism and Hinduism must be considered as two separate religions for religious conversions in the state. The Gujarat government took note of Hindus – predominantly Dalits – converting to Buddhism in the state, and stated that both the person converting and the person getting them to convert must inform the District Magistrate and get their permission, according to the provisions of the Gujarat Freedom of Religion Act, 2003 (GFR Act). According to the state government, the GFR Act “seeks to deal with religious conversion through allurement, force or by misrepresentation or by any other fraudulent means." Section 3 of the act criminalises an attempt to convert any person from one religion to another “by use of force or by allurement or by any fraudulent means or by marriage or by getting a person married or by aiding a person to get married".Haryana: In 2022, the state government Monday notified rules to implement a law that prevents forcible religious conversions — and places the burden of proof of innocence on the accused.Madhya Pradesh: The Madhya Pradesh Freedom of Religion Act, 2021 was passed to prevent or discourage forced or fraudulent religious conversions.Himachal Pradesh: The bill was passed in 2022.Jharkhand: The state passed a bill in 2017.Uttarakhand: In 2022, the state made the law more stringent.Odisha: The Government of Odisha (then Orissa) was the first state to institute anti-conversion law. The Orissa Freedom of Religion Act, 1967 “provides that no person shall convert or attempt to convert, either directly or otherwise, any person from one religious faith to another by the use of force or by inducement or by any fraudulent means."Karnataka: Karnataka had passed the Protection of Right to Freedom of Religion Bill, 2021, in 2022, but the new government announced plans to scrap it.Location : First Published:

News politics ‘Love Jihad’: Maharashtra CM Wants Strict Law, MP CM Seeks Death Penalty. Where Do Other States Stand On Illegal Religious Conversions?