Dehradun, August 14
The Uttarakhand Cabinet has approved the Freedom of Religion (Amendment) Bill, 2025, seeking to impose stricter punishments for forced religious conversions — including life imprisonment in severe cases. This marks the second amendment to the state’s anti-conversion legislation since it was first enacted in 2018.
The proposed law, to be tabled in the Monsoon Session of the State Assembly scheduled from August 19, significantly extends the maximum punishment from the current 10 years to the possibility of a life term.
Officials involved in drafting the Bill said that inducements such as jobs, money, gifts, free education, or promises of a better life by a religious institution prior to conversion will be deemed “forced conversions.” Violations could lead to prison terms ranging from three to ten years.
Mass conversions or activities supported by foreign funding would invite imprisonment of seven to 14 years. Converting women, minors, persons with disabilities, or members of Scheduled Caste or Scheduled Tribe communities could lead to sentences between five and 14 years.
The Bill broadens the definition of “allurement” to include material benefits in cash or kind, employment opportunities, invoking divine displeasure, or portraying one religion in a prejudicial or glorifying manner against another.
For more severe offences — including human trafficking or threats to life during the act of conversion — sentences could range from 20 years to life imprisonment.
The amendment also targets “false promises of marriage” and situations where an individual conceals their religion with the intent to marry, prescribing three to ten years of imprisonment and a fine of ₹3 lakh.
The 2018 Freedom of Religion Act was designed to protect the constitutional right to religious freedom under Articles 25 to 28 of the Indian Constitution. It was first amended in 2022, with the 2025 Bill aiming to make it even more stringent.
