“Whoever sows injustice will reap calamity, and the rod of his fury will fail.” Proverbs 22:8.

On 3 February, the Prohibition of Unlawful Conversion of Religion Bill was tabled by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government in the Rajasthan State Assembly to stop religious conversions allegedly made “by fraud, force, or inducement”.

The Bill was passed during the Budget session and the law has since been enacted.

Opponents of the Bill argue that it violates the rights to personal liberty and autonomy, to freedom of speech and expression, and to privacy and freedom of faith.

India is a secular nation, and its Constitution protects the right of each Indian citizen to freely practice and spread their faith peacefully.

The Indian Constitution also states that changing one’s religion due to personal conviction, marriage, or divorce is acceptable so long as the decision is made voluntarily and without the use of pressure or force.

The Bill will make it far more difficult for an individual to convert to another religion by requiring an extended bureaucratic process to do so and imposing harsh penalties on those seen to be in violation of any of the statutes of the new law.

According to the Bill, those who want to convert to another religion will have to first give two months’ advanced notice to the District Magistrate.

Then, a notice of 30 days for any ceremony for the conversion must be made by the “converter” who is performing the ceremony, followed by an affidavit by the converted person to the District Magistrate within 60 days.

Penalties for those found to be involved in unlawful conversion include up to three years in jail with a minimum fine of 10,000 rupees (USD 115) for the converted and five years in jail with a minimum fine of 25,000 rupees (USD 287) for the converter.

According to Forbes, the average monthly salary in Rajasthan is 19,740 rupees (USD 227).

Criticism of the law relates to it appearing to reverse the principle of the assumption of innocence by placing the burden of proof — that a religious conversion was not affected through misrepresentation, force, undue influence, coercion, allurement or by any fraudulent means or marriage — on the person who has “caused” the conversion.

The offences covered by this Bill are classified as cognizable and non-bailable, and triable by a court.

This means that the accused may be arrested without a warrant and that obtaining bail may be difficult.

Rajasthan now joins 11 other states in India — Odisha, Arunachal Pradesh, Gujarat, Chhattisgarh, Karnataka, Jharkhand, Haryana, Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, and Madhya Pradesh — in having an anti-conversion law.

These state governments have used the criminal code to stop church services and prayers at the sickbed of a Christian.

Misuse of the anti-conversion laws against innocent citizens has led to 1,000 or more people, including women and children, spending time in jails.

Many of those who have been arrested are pastors, and others from several groups who are first-generation converts to Christianity, often tribal or marginalised people.

In 2024, more than 400 senior Christian leaders and 30 church groups submitted an urgent appeal to the President and Prime Minister of India to curb the activities of violent mobs that have targeted Christian gatherings across the country. At least 14 incidents targeting

Christians were reported during the Christmas season, ranging from threats and disruptions to arrests and outright attacks.

The appeal also pointed to the misuse of anti-conversion laws leading to the arrest and harassment of over 110 clergy members.

According to Christian groups such as the Evangelical Fellowship, United Christian Forum, and Persecution Relief 834 incidents against Christians have documented in India last year.

The actual number may be several times higher, as police refuse to register complaints and victims are scared to even approach the authorities.

Home Group Prayer:

Dear Lord,

We pray for justice in India and a reversal of the laws that so negatively impact our Christian brothers and sisters living there.

We pray that those in authority will not abuse their power or use these laws to unfairly prosecute those who seek to know you and live their lives in you.

And we pray that you will grant protection for pastors and ministers and all those who are spreading the gospel in India, that they may be able to continue their good work and bring more people to faith, without being treated unjustly.

We ask all these in the name of our LORD and Saviour, Jesus Christ.

Amen.

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Materials used by kind permission of the original author.

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