Team News Riveting
Raipur, March 19
The much awaited Chhattisgarh Freedom of Religion (Amendment) Bill-2026 was passed by voice vote in the absence of the main opposition Congress party in Chhattisgarh Legislative Assembly on Thursday.
There are five chapters and 31 sections in the Bill. It has stringent provisions to prohibit religious conversions carried out through coercion, fraud, inducement or marriage. As per the provisions, those involved in unlawful conversions will be punished with imprisonment of seven years to 10 years and shall also be liable for a fine of Rs 5 lakh. Violations in respect of a minor, a person of unsound mind, a woman or a person belonging to the Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe will be punished with imprisonment of 10 to 20 years and a fine of minimum Rs 10 lakh.
Mass conversions will have a jail term of life imprisonment and minimum a fine of Rs 25 lakh rupees. Public servant involved in unlawful conversions will be punished will be punished with imprisonment of minimum 10 years and maximum 20 years and shall also be liable for minimum a fine of Rs 10 lakh. The person, who is earlier punished for the conversion, will be punished with life imprisonment.
A special court will be designated for hearing of religious conversion in every district. If a person wishes to voluntarily convert, they must first notify the District Magistrate or other competent authority in accordance with the established procedure. Information about the proposed conversion will be publicly displayed, and objections will be available within 30 days.
The bill clearly defines terms such as inducement, coercion, mass conversion, and conversion through digital means. It also clarifies that reversion to one’s ancestral religion will not be considered conversion. If a person of one religion marries someone of another religion, the officiating father, priest, cleric, or other person responsible for solemnizing such marriage must submit a declaration to the competent authority eight days before the wedding date. The competent authority will determine whether the marriage is being conducted for the purpose of conversion, and if so, it may be declared invalid.
Replying to the debate in the House, Deputy Chief Minister and State Home Minister Vijay Sharma said that the bill aims to prevent conversions carried out through fraud, coercion or inducement while safeguarding Constitutional rights. He informed the House that not a single conversion was reported in Narayanpur, Bijapur, Kondagaon, Kanker and other districts of the state from 2004 to 2021. The administration did not give permission for construction of the religious places, he added.
Earlier, Leader of Opposition in Chhattisgarh Legislative Assembly Dr Charan Das Mahant raised the objection over the tabling of Chhattisgarh Freedom of Religion (Amendment) Bill-2026, saying that the matters related to the Freedom of Religion (Amendment) Bill from 11 states of the country are pending with the Supreme Court. So the bill should not be tabled in hurry in the House. The Chhattisgarh Freedom of Religion (Amendment) Bill-2026 should be sent to the Select Committee of the Chhattisgarh Legislative Assembly, he added.
Deputy Chief Minister Vijay Sharma said, “The Supreme Court has never said that new laws should not be enacted. Freedom of religion gives one the right to make laws for the public. Feedback has been sought from all the people. Everyone should agree on this and move forward.”
After hearing the reply of the Deputy Chief Minister, Presiding Officer Dharamlal Kaushik, who was in the chair, rejected the objections of the opposition Congress MLAs. The Congress MLAs boycotted the proceedings of the House for the whole day.
Vijay Sharma called the boycott of the Congress as an exodus of the opposition, and accused it of supporting religious conversions. BJP MLA Ajay Chandrakar started discussion on the bill in the House.
BJP MLAs Dharamlal Kaushik, Lata Usendi, Raimuni Bhagat, Chaitram Atami and other BJP MLAs participated in the discussion.
