Several civil society organisations, religious outfits and some political parties have come together to oppose the anti-conversion law, passed by the Rajasthan Assembly earlier this month, terming it draconian and a tool to spread “majoritarian hatred.” Organisations including the People’s Union for Civil Liberties, Association for Protection of Civil Rights, the Rajasthan Buddhist Mahasangh, the Jaipur Christian Fellowship, the All India Democratic Women’s Association, the Rajasthan Samagra Seva Sangh, the Movement Against Repression, Rajasthan, the Youth Buddhist Society of India, Jamaat-e-Islami, Rajasthan, the Jamiat Ulama-e-Hind, the Rajasthan Nagrik Manch, the Dalit Muslim Ekta Manch, and the Social Democratic Party of India, among others, issued a joint statement Thursday against the law saying that the Bill “will result in a two-class system of governance”. In the statement, they said that it is “our belief that the Rajasthan Bill is a draconian law and is nothing but a tool of the BJP to spread the Sangh ideology of majoritarian hatred towards minorities and create an atmosphere of fear within the minority communities living in the state.” They pointed out that the Rajasthan law is "much wider and more stringent and invasive" than any of the other legislations of the 11 states, including Uttar Pradesh where it was amended in 2024, and that “its provisions fail the test of Constitutionality at every step, whether it be related to definitions, or mechanism for conversion or the proportionality of punishments.” The new Bill introduces significantly harsher penalties for unlawful religious conversions compared to an earlier version. Offenders can face seven years to life imprisonment and hefty fines, with more severe punishments for cases involving minors, women, SC/ST individuals, the differently abled, or mass conversions and a minimum 20 years’ imprisonment and a fine of Rs 50 lakh on repetition of the crime. Receiving foreign or illegal funds for conversions can lead to 10–20 years in jail and a fine of at least Rs 20 lakh. In special cases involving force, fraud, or coercion (like false promises of marriage), the punishment goes up to life imprisonment and minimum Rs 30 lakh fine, with repeat offenders facing even stricter penalties, including Rs 50 lakh fine. Properties used for illegal conversions may be demolished or confiscated, and institutions involved can lose licenses permanently, face property seizure, and pay fines up to ₹1 crore. All offences under the Bill are cognisable and non-bailable. However, returning to one’s ancestral religion or ‘ghar wapsi' is exempted. The organisations also said that since the last two weeks, when the Bill was placed in the state Assembly on September 3 and its passage on September 9, more than nine incidents of attacks have happened against the Christian community, “showing how unlawful the State is becoming”. They said that these incidents are the one in Alwar on September 3 - the day the Bill was tabled - two each in Hanumangarh, Dungarpur, Kotputli-Behror districts and two in Chief Minister Bhajan Lal Sharma’s constituency Sanganer in Jaipur. “The licence that the passage of this Bill in the state legislature has given the right-wing RSS [Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh] affiliated groups to attack minorities, including attempts by the Rajasthan Police to criminalise the worship and practicing rights under Article 25, shows how this law will be used in the future to subordinate minorities and deprive all other faiths, other than being Hindu of full expression of their constitutional rights particularly of Article 14, 19, 21 and 25,” they claimed. As part of their strategy, they said they will meet the governor and explain to him why not to not sign “this unconstitutional Bill” and instead send it to the President of India under Article 200. “In 2006 and 2008, we had been successful in our endeavour with the respective Governors to not sign the Bill and send it to the President. We would also conduct a series of dialogues with all communities including all minorities that they should debate this bill publicly and show how bad it is in law and violative of constitutional rights,” they said. The organisations said they would hold rallies and public meetings across the state and conduct social media, signature and postcard campaigns “and also move the Supreme court once it comes into force, where all the state laws that have been challenged by diverse petitioners are being heard”. The Rajasthan Religious Conversion Bill, 2025, would not stand the scrutiny of the law due to its severe mandatory sentences of punishment, with offences being cognisable and non-bailable, they said. “The punishments actually supersede the concept of reasonableness and proportionality and would not pass a court of law,” they said, adding that the law “also seriously violates the right to privacy” as part of the mandatory disclosures and the process for conversion. As part of the law, anyone can report a possible violation and an enquiry will be initiated by the police, “showing how this right can be misused to settle scores and also genuinely snatch the right to choose my religion”.
