During the ongoing Budget Session on Monday, The Bhajan Lal Sharma-led Rajasthan Government introduced ‘The ‘Rajasthan Prohibition of Unlawful Conversion of Religion Bill 2025’. The Bill introduces both cognisable and non-cognisable offences, which will be subject to court trials. Its main objective is to prevent unlawful religious conversions and includes provisions for up to 10 years of imprisonment and a fine of up to Rs 50,000.

Health Minister Gajendra Singh Khinvsar introduced the Bill. It will be debated in the assembly before being passed. Under the Bill, conversions carried out through force, deceit, allurement, or fraudulent methods will be considered criminal offences.

Under the provisions of the Bill, an individual found guilty could face a 1-year imprisonment, which may be extended up to 5 years, along with a fine of Rs 15,000. If the offence involves a minor, woman or someone from the SC/ST community, the punishment will be more severe, with a 2-year prison sentence, which could extend to 10 years, and a fine of Rs 25,000.

In cases of mass conversions, the Bill imposes a punishment of up to 10 years in prison and a fine of Rs 50,000.

Additionally, individuals wishing to convert to another religion must submit a 60-day advance notice in a prescribed format to the District Magistrate.

The Bill highlights instances where individuals were coerced or deceived into converting their religion, often through manipulation or exploitation.

“In the recent past, many such examples have come to light where gullible persons have been converted from one religion to another by misrepresentation, force, undue influence, coercion, allurement or fraudulent means. The law related to the right to religious freedom already exists in various states of the country but there was no statute on the said subject in Rajasthan. In view of the above, it was decided to enact a law to provide for the prohibition of unlawful conversion,” the Bill described.

Rajasthan Minister K.K. Vishnoi commented on the anti-conversion bill, as reported by the news agency ANI "... This bill is being introduced against Love Jihad so that cajoling of innocent girls can be stopped..."

Last year, Rajasthan Chief Minister Bhajan Lal Sharma expressed on X (formerly Twitter) that the "Rajasthan government committed to stop illegal conversion. In the cabinet meeting held in the Chief Minister's Office today, it was decided to introduce 'The Rajasthan Prohibition of Unlawful Conversion of Religion Bill-2024' in the Assembly to stop attempts of conversion by inducement or fraud. The proposed bill will prohibit any person or institution from converting a person's religion through misleading information, fraud, use of force or undue influence. If a person marries for the purpose of illegal conversion, the family court will have the right to declare such marriage invalid."