Maharashtra Assembly Passes Anti-Conversion Bill
The ‘Maharashtra Freedom of Religion Act, 2026’ meant to regulate religious conversions in the state was passed by the assembly late Monday night.
Published : March 17, 2026 at 12:12 PM IST
By Prajakta Pol
Mumbai: The ‘Maharashtra Freedom of Religion Act, 2026’—a bill aimed to regulate religious conversions in the state—was passed in the Legislative Assembly on Monday. The bill, which was passed in the legislative assembly following a debate spanning nearly five hours, is being taken up for discussion in the legislative council on Tuesday.
The bill includes provisions for a punishment of up to seven years of imprisonment and a fine of up to Rs 5 lakh for anyone found engaging in forced religious conversion. During the discussion, differing opinions regarding the bill were observed within the Maha Vikas Aghadi alliance.
Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis urged members not to harbour any misconceptions regarding the bill. Furthermore, he requested the House to set aside various circulating rumors about the legislation and approve the bill. "This bill is not directed against any specific religion, but applies equally to all religions," he said.
Fadnavis told the house, "Maharashtra is not the first state to introduce a Freedom of Religion Bill as 12 other states have already enacted similar laws." The CM claimed that there had been instances of religious conversion “resulting from coercion, inducement, or fraud that have often given rise to issues of law and order. Consequently, this legislation is being introduced to bring clarity to this matter."
"While Article 25, of the Constitution of India grants every individual the right to freedom of religion, the Supreme Court has affirmed that enacting legislation to prevent forced conversions is constitutionally valid. This law is not intended to impose a blanket ban on religious conversions, but rather to curb conversions brought about through coercion, duress, or fraudulent means," he added.
He stated that conversions effected in such a manner will not be deemed valid, nor will a marriage solemnised solely on the basis of an unlawful conversion be recognised as legitimate. He cautioned, "However, the final decision regarding such matters will rest with the courts."
A child born after such conversion will be deemed to belong to the mother's religion, and custody of the child shall remain with the mother.
Fadnavis further clarified that under this law, “If an individual is found guilty, they may face imprisonment for up to seven years”. "Furthermore, if the same offense is committed repeatedly, the law provides for a prison term of up to ten years," Fadnavis told the house.
MLAs from various political parties expressed their views regarding this bill. Some aired apprehension while some questioned the intent.
Significantly, a rift appeared to emerge within the Maha Vikas Aghadi over this legislation. The Shiv Sena (UBT) faction, while pointing out certain flaws, affirmed its support for the bill.
Speaking on the matter, Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Bhaskar Jadhav stated, “This bill makes no mention of any specific religion. Various points are being raised regarding this legislation. A narrative was spread outside that this bill pertains to a specific religion. However, the Chief Minister has clarified that this is not true. This is an excellent bill. We do, however, object to the specific provision requiring the accused to prove their innocence—that the alleged act did not occur—as this provision is susceptible to misuse. The responsibility to prove the allegation should also be placed upon the accuser.”
On the other hand, the Congress, the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), and the Samajwadi Party opposed the bill. Speaking on the bill, Congress MLA Aslam Shaikh stated that "Introducing this bill amounts to interfering with the Constitution."
He further stated that the bill “breaches individual safety”. "It violates the 'Right to Privacy' granted under Article 21, of the Constitution. Furthermore, what becomes of an individual's safety when a mandatory notice regarding religious conversion must be submitted 60 days in advance?"
He further questioned the very intent behind introducing this bill. "The government has failed to mention specific cases they have encountered to warrant this legislation. What were they?" He pointed out that while it was claimed in the Legislative Assembly that there were over 100,000 'Love Jihad' cases in the state, a committee report subsequently stated that, in reality, not a single such case had been proven.
Shaikh demanded that given the potential for this bill to be misused, it should be referred to a Joint Committee so that its flaws and shortcomings could be rectified.
Samajwadi Party MLA Rais Shaikh expressed his opposition to this bill. He stated, "The government should have presented clear statistics regarding incidents of religious conversions in the state before introducing such a stringent bill."
NCP (Sharad Chandra Pawar) legislator, Jitendra Awhad too opposed this bill, pointing out numerous flaws within it. While asserting that the bill had been misused, he cited several historical examples.
Awhad also made a reference to Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, to which the ruling parties objected, deeming it historically inaccurate. They demanded that Awhad apologise, which led to an uproar by the ruling parties within the House, resulting in the adjournment of the Legislative Assembly for ten minutes. Ruling party MLAs and ministers demanded, Awhad should apologise and that he should be suspended. Speaker Rahul Narwekar directed Awhad to tender an apology and the discussion resumed after Awhad apologised to the House.
Subsequently, MLAs from all parties deliberated on the bill for nearly five hours. Following this discussion, the bill was passed in the Legislative Assembly around 11:00 PM on Monday.
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