Uttarakhand Cabinet clears amendment to anti-conversion law with stricter penalties
New Delhi: The Uttarakhand cabinet last week approved the Uttarakhand Freedom of Religion (Amendment) Act, 2025, introducing stricter provisions against forced, fraudulent or inducement-based religious conversions.
General cases will attract 3 to 10 years of imprisonment and a fine of Rs 50,000, while offences involving women, children, SC/ST or differently-abled persons will be punishable with 5 to 14 years in jail and a fine of Rs 1 lakh.
Mass conversions will carry imprisonment of 7 to 14 years along with a fine of Rs 1 lakh, and accepting foreign funds for conversions will invite 7 to 14 years of imprisonment and a minimum fine of Rs 10 lakh. Conversions carried out through threats, assault or trafficking will be punishable with 20 years to life imprisonment, the statement said.
The amendment also allows for confiscation of any property acquired through illegal conversions by the district magistrate, with the accused required to prove the legitimacy of the property.
Victims will be provided legal aid, shelter, maintenance, medical facilities and confidentiality of identity, and the government will introduce a special scheme for immediate support, the statement said, adding that all offences under the Act will be cognizable and non-bailable, with police empowered to arrest without warrant. Bail will only be granted if the court is satisfied that the accused is not guilty and is unlikely to reoffend.
Also Read: Ambedkar to AAP—mass conversions still bristle Indian politics
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