Mumbai, March 5 The Maharashtra cabinet on Thursday approved a draft bill that makes conversion mandatory, requiring individuals to obtain permission from a competent authority before converting to another religion.
According to an official, a person wishing to convert must provide a 60-day notice and obtain permission from the designated authority before doing so. Furthermore, the conversion must be registered with the authority within 25 days, or it will be considered invalid.
If a person's blood relative files a complaint alleging that the conversion is unlawful, the police will register a First Information Report and conduct an investigation, as per the bill.
The bill states that the right to religious freedom does not include the right to convert by force, fraud, or coercion, but it does include the right to be protected from such unlawful conversions.
Maharashtra minister and BJP leader Nitesh Rane said that the cabinet has approved a strong anti-conversion law, adding that the decision fulfills a promise made by the party ahead of the Assembly elections.
Speaking to reporters at Vidhan Bhavan, Rane said, "We had firmly stated during the Assembly elections that once we come to power, we will bring a strong anti-conversion law, also referred to as a law against 'love jihad,' in Maharashtra. Today, I feel a deep sense of satisfaction that such a strong anti-conversion law has been approved by the cabinet."
Thanking Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and deputy chief ministers Eknath Shinde and Sunetra Pawar for the decision, Rane said that the bill has been approved under the proposed 'Dharma Swatantrya Adhiniyam 2026'.
He added that a government resolution (GR) will be issued soon.
"Several activists and Hindutva organizations had taken out marches and agitations in the past demanding the implementation of such a law in the state. The legislation is expected to be introduced and passed in the legislature in the coming period," he said.