Rajasthan Enacts Comprehensive Law Prohibiting Unlawful Religious Conversions

The Rajasthan Prohibition of Unlawful Conversion of Religion Act, 2025 (Act No. 21 of 2025), received the Governor's assent on October 3, 2025, and was subsequently published in the Rajasthan Gazette Extraordinary on October 8, 2025. The State Government, through a notification (S.O.44) from the Home (Group-5) Department dated October 29, 2025, appointed October 29, 2025, as the date on which the provisions of the Act came into force. This legislation was enacted to address concerns regarding attempts at religious conversions through force, allurement, fraudulent means, and other coercive practices by religious institutions or individuals within the state.

The Act introduces stringent measures against conversions effected by misrepresentation, misinformation, force, undue influence, coercion, allurement, online solicitation, fraudulent means, or by marriage or pretext of marriage. It explicitly prohibits any person from converting or attempting to convert another person through these specified means, including propaganda. The legislation also extends liability to those who abet, convince, provoke, or conspire such conversions. A significant provision clarifies that re-conversion to one's original or ancestral religion is not to be considered a conversion under this Act. Furthermore, concealing one's religion with the intent of marriage is prohibited.

Key provisions of the Act include severe penalties for contraventions. General violations of the prohibition carry imprisonment terms ranging from seven to fourteen years and a fine of not less than five lakh rupees. Enhanced punishments are prescribed for conversions involving minors, persons with disabilities, women, or individuals belonging to Scheduled Castes or Scheduled Tribes, with rigorous imprisonment from ten to twenty years and a fine of not less than ten lakh rupees. Mass conversions attract rigorous imprisonment from twenty years up to life, along with a fine of not less than twenty-five lakh rupees. The Act also penalizes receiving foreign or illegal funds for unlawful religious conversion, imposing rigorous imprisonment from ten to twenty years and a fine of not less than twenty lakh rupees. Offenses involving threats to life or property, assault, or trafficking for conversion purposes are punishable with rigorous imprisonment from twenty years up to life and a fine of not less than thirty lakh rupees. Courts are empowered to award compensation of up to ten lakh rupees to victims, in addition to fines. Repeat offenders face even harsher penalties, including rigorous imprisonment from twenty years up to life and a fine of not less than fifty lakh rupees. The Act mandates that properties where unlawful conversions occur can be forfeited, and marriages solemnized solely for the purpose of unlawful conversion can be declared null and void by a Family Court. All offenses under this Act are classified as cognizable and non-bailable and are triable by a Court of Sessions.

The legislation establishes a detailed procedural framework for conversions. Individuals intending to convert their religion must submit a declaration to the District Magistrate at least ninety days in advance, affirming their free consent and absence of coercion. Similarly, religious convertors and priests performing conversion ceremonies must provide a two-month advance notice to the District Magistrate. The District Magistrate is required to display these notices publicly and conduct inquiries into any objections received. Post-conversion, the converted person must appear before the District Magistrate within seventy-two hours to submit a declaration, which is also subject to public display and inquiry. Failure to comply with these pre- and post-conversion declaration requirements renders the conversion illegal and void. The Act also provides for penalties against institutions or organizations found violating its provisions, including cancellation of registration, withdrawal of financial aid, confiscation of property, freezing of financial accounts, and a penalty of one crore rupees. The burden of proof that a conversion was not unlawfully influenced lies with the person who caused the conversion and any abettor.

The legislative intent behind the Rajasthan Prohibition of Unlawful Conversion of Religion Act, 2025, is to curb the practice of religious conversions carried out through deceptive, coercive, or fraudulent means, thereby safeguarding individual autonomy and religious freedom. The Act aims to address the issue of individuals being compelled or enticed into changing their religion against their free will. The earlier legal position, while generally upholding the right to profess, practice, and propagate religion, lacked specific provisions to effectively counter conversions achieved through unlawful methods such as misrepresentation, force, undue influence, or allurement. The statutory gaps and limitations in existing frameworks, particularly concerning the evidentiary burden and specific prohibitions against various forms of unlawful inducement, are directly addressed by this new legislation. The legislation provided: “An Act to provide for prohibition of unlawful conversion from one religion to another by misrepresentation, misinformation, force, undue influence, coercion, allurement, online solicitation or by any fraudulent means or by marriage or pretext of marriage and for the matters connected therewith or incidental thereto.” This core principle underscores the policy rationale to protect individuals from being exploited or manipulated into religious conversion. The Act introduces new obligations for individuals and religious functionaries involved in conversions, requiring mandatory declarations and notices to the District Magistrate, along with a mechanism for public scrutiny and inquiry into the genuineness of conversions. It also introduces robust enforcement mechanisms, including severe penalties, forfeiture of property, and the nullification of marriages entered into solely for the purpose of unlawful conversion. These provisions aim to create a deterrent against such practices and ensure that religious conversions are a matter of genuine conviction and free choice, rather than compulsion or deceit. The Act explicitly states that its provisions are in addition to, and not in derogation of, any other law for the time being in force, indicating a comprehensive approach to strengthen the legal framework against unlawful religious conversions in Rajasthan.

Keywords: Rajasthan, Unlawful Conversion, Religion, Anti-Conversion Law, Religious Freedom, Forceful Conversion, Fraudulent Conversion, Marriage Conversion, State Legislation, 2025 Act Geo Tags: India, Rajasthan District: Not Applicable