2 days ago
Uttarakhand to toughen anti-conversion law; life imprisonment, ₹10 lakh fine proposed — check details
The Uttarakhand government's move to bring another legislation to amend the Uttarakhand Freedom of Religion Act is expected to make the law even more stringent. The amendment, approved by the state cabinet, aims to prevent religious conversions through coercion, fraud, or undue influence.
The amendment legislation, approved by the state cabinet on Wednesday, proposes a maximum punishment of life imprisonment and a fine of up to ₹ 10 lakh for forced conversion.
Currently, the maximum prison term for the offence in the state is 10 years and the highest fine is ₹ 50,000.
This is the second legislation to amend the Act, which has been in force in the state since 2018.
The first amendment was made in 2022.
The Pushkar Singh Dhami-led government is preparing to introduce the legislation during the monsoon session of the state assembly, which is scheduled to begin on August 19, reported news agency PTI, citing sources.
According to the Uttarakhand Freedom of Religion (amendment) legislation, 2025, fraudulent or forced conversion would be a cognizable and non-bailable offence. In such cases, police will be allowed to arrest an offender without a warrant and bail will be granted only if the trial court (sessions court) is convinced that the accused is not guilty and would not repeat the offence.
"Yet another amendment legislation to make the law even more strict has been occasioned by recent cases of conversions in the state aimed at demographic change," PTI quoted Ajendra Ajay, BJP leader and former chairman of Badrinath-Kedarnath Temple committee, as saying.
Terming the cabinet's decision as historic, Ajay said: "An amended act with stricter provisions will work as a strong deterrent for potential offenders and help preserve the original identity of a border state like Uttarakhand, which is also known as Devbhoomi."
The Bill also expands the definition of inducement to include any gift, gratification, easy money, or material benefit in cash or kind, employment, free education, promise of marriage, hurting religious faith, or glorifying another religion, categorising all of them as crimes.
It also makes punishable acts such as promoting or inciting conversion through social media, messaging apps, or any online medium.
