Maharashtra begins drafting anti-conversion law, consultations on between Home and Legal Depts
First draft of proposed law sent for legal feedback. The development comes days after Gujarat, another BJP-ruled state, tabled amendments to its marriage registration law making parental consent mandatory.
The Maharashtra government is learnt to have prepared the first draft of a proposed anti-conversion law aimed at addressing cases of alleged forced religious conversions, an issue that leaders of the ruling Mahayuti coalition have often described as “love jihad”. Sources said the “preliminary” draft has been referred to the Law and Judiciary Department for feedback as part of the procedural process.
A source told The Indian Express that drafting is still underway and that there will be further discussions between the Home and Law and Judiciary departments before the Bill is finalised. “As is the case with any law, there will be several rounds before it is finalised,” the source said. The government, the source said, is aiming to bring the Bill to the House for passage this year.
The development comes days after Gujarat, another BJP-ruled state, tabled amendments to its marriage registration law making parental consent mandatory. In the Gujarat Assembly last week, Deputy Chief Minister Harsh Sanghavi said that “under the name of love jihad, a game is being played in the state” and that “a strong armour needs to be created for young girls”.
Meanwhile, the matter of anti-religious conversion laws also reached the Supreme Court on Monday and it decided to examine the validity of anti-religious conversion laws enacted by 12 states, even as Christian groups submitted that these statutes “incentivise” vigilante groups to commit acts of violence against minorities. A bench headed by Chief Justice of India Surya Kant issued notice to the Union Government through the Ministry of Law and Justice, as well as to Himachal Pradesh, Odisha, Karnataka, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Haryana, Arunachal Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Jharkhand and Rajasthan.
In the past, the Maharashtra government has indicated its intention to introduce an anti-conversion Bill. It set up a high-level committee to examine the legal aspects of a potential law against forced conversions and cases described as “love jihad”. However, sources now indicate that the process has moved beyond promises and discussions, and that drafting of the proposed law is underway.
After the massive win in the Maharashtra Assembly polls, the BJP-led Mahayuti led by Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has repeatedly expressed its government’s commitment to enact a law against “love jihad” or “forced religious conversion”.
Earlier, Fadnavis had maintained his government was not against interfaith marriages, but claimed that the instances of atrocities and fraud were on the rise. “However, where marriages happen through coercion, using false identities and with an objective of religious conversions and harassment, they need to be firmly tackled through an Act,” he had said.
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Undeterred by the opposition to the proposed law, and in line with its pre-poll promise, the Fadnavis dispensation issued a government resolution (GR) in February 2025 stating its intent to enact the law to curb the “love jihad” cases. The state government constituted a seven-member committee, headed by the Director General of Police (DGP), in this regard, which will look into the legal provisions, develop a legal framework and study similar laws in other states like BJP-ruled Rajasthan, which tabled an anti-conversion law in its Assembly last year.
Vallabh Ozarkar is a Senior Correspondent with The Indian Express' Mumbai bureau, recognized as an authoritative and deeply knowledgeable voice on the politics, governance, and infrastructure of Maharashtra. With more than nine years of experience in major news organizations, his reporting delivers high standards of Expertise and Trustworthiness.
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Current Role: Senior Correspondent, The Indian Express, Mumbai bureau.
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