Chhattisgarh passes stricter anti-conversion bill with provisions of life term, Rs 25 lakh fine

The Chhattisgarh Assembly on Thursday passed a bill to regulate religious conversions.

The legislation introduces stricter penalties, including life imprisonment and fines up to Rs 25 lakh in some cases, for violations.

The 2026 Freedom of Religion Bill will replace a 1968 law introduced in undivided Madhya Pradesh, from which Chhattisgarh was carved out in 2000.

The Opposition boycotted the proceedings, calling for further scrutiny of the draft legislation.

After the Assembly cleared the bill, Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai told reporters that the law would stop religious conversions “carried out by taking advantage of people’s poverty, and lack of education and knowledge”, The Hindu reported.

The 1968 law had become inadequate in effectively controlling “the use of force, greed and fraudulent practices” for conversions, Deo Sai was quoted as saying.

The new law

The new legislation bars persons from converting anyone “by the use or practice of glorification, misrepresentation, force, undue influence, coercion, allurement”.

Under the law, a person who wants to convert will have to submit a declaration to the district magistrate or an authorised official, The Indian Express reported.

Within a week, the authorities will publish the details of the proposed conversion on a website and in the offices of the tehsildar, gram panchayat and the local police station.

The law empowers the authorities to verify the authenticity of conversions, investigate complaints and summon records. Objections against the...

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