Mumbai: The Maharashtra Freedom of Religion Act, 2026, has officially come into force after receiving President Droupadi Murmu’s assent and being notified in the state gazette on July 30. The legislation, which was passed by both Houses of the Maharashtra Legislature during the Budget Session in March, aims to prevent religious conversions carried out through force, coercion, fraud, undue influence, allurement, misrepresentation, or marriage-related deception.
Under the new law, individuals intending to voluntarily convert to another religion must inform the district magistrate at least 60 days before the proposed conversion and complete the prescribed post-conversion formalities. Violations involving illegal or fraudulent conversions are punishable with imprisonment of up to seven years for first-time offenders, while repeat offenders may face jail terms of up to 10 years.
The Act also expands the scope for legal action by allowing the victim’s parents, siblings, and other close relatives to file complaints with the authorities.
Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has stated that the law is intended to curb forced and fraudulent religious conversions and is not aimed at restricting voluntary religious conversions or interfaith marriages. With the implementation of this legislation, Maharashtra joins several other states, including Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, Chhattisgarh, and Himachal Pradesh, that have enacted similar anti-conversion laws to regulate unlawful religious conversions.
