The Maharashtra Freedom of Religion Bill 2026 seeks to curb religious conversions through coercion, fraud, inducement or marriage, with jail terms up to seven years.
Fadnavis said cases of women being lured into relationships and abandoned after marriage prompted the need for the legislation.
The bill mandates 60-day prior notice for conversion and allows relatives to file FIRs if they suspect unlawful religious conversion.
Devendra Fadnavis Defends Maharashtra Anti-Conversion Bill
CM says proposed law targets fraudulent religious conversions through marriage, not any particular community.
Summary
Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Monday said several women have been lured into relationships, married and later abandoned, asserting the bill against fraudulent religious conversion aims to address these issues and curb such practices.
The Opposition parties are politicising the issue for vote-bank gains, but once they read the bill carefully, they will have no objections, Fadnavis told reporters at the Mantralaya.
"The Opposition is merely trying to politicise the issue for their vote bank politics. I can guarantee you that after careful reading of the bill, the Opposition will not object to it," the CM said.
Maharashtra was not the first state to introduce such legislation and several states had already enacted similar laws to curb unlawful religious conversions, he noted.
If enacted, Maharashtra will join states like Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka and Uttarakhand that have enacted similar laws to regulate religious conversions.
The government on Friday introduced in the state assembly the Maharashtra Freedom of Religion Bill 2026, which has stringent provisions to prohibit religious conversions carried out through coercion, fraud, inducement or marriage.
As per the Bill, those involved in unlawful conversions on the pretext of marriage will be punished with imprisonment of seven years and shall also be liable for fine of Rs 1 lakh.
Violations in respect of a minor, person of unsound mind or woman or person belonging to the Scheduled Caste and the Scheduled Tribe will be punished with imprisonment of seven years and fine of Rs 5 lakh.
"There have been many cases where women were lured, they eloped, and were abandoned after marriage. In such a situation, it raises the question of their child from such a relationship. It complicates their life. The bill is trying to find out solutions to such problems," Fadnavis said.
If the Opposition parties had read the bill carefully, they would realise that it does not target any community but is aimed at preventing conversions carried out through inducement, coercion or pressure, he said.
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"The Opposition is merely trying to politicise the issue for their vote bank politics. I can guarantee you that after careful reading of the bill, the Opposition will not object to it," the CM said.
Under the proposed legislation, any person intending to convert from one religion to another, as well as any individual or institution organising a conversion ceremony, must give a notice at least 60 days in advance to the competent authority, defined as the district magistrate or an officer authorised by the state government.
The village panchayat or local body in question, as well as the competent authority's office, will publicly display information about the proposed conversion and invite public objections within 30 days.
The measure also requires that, within 21 days of the conversion, a declaration be submitted to the authority by both the converted person and the person or organisation hosting the ceremony.
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It also allows parents, siblings or relatives related by blood, marriage or adoption of the converted person to lodge a First Information Report (FIR) if they suspect unlawful conversion, and requires the police to register such complaints.
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