Joint Statement of Organisations Condemning and Rejecting the Anti Conversion Law passed by the Rajasthan State Assembly

Oct 01, 2025
By PUCL Rajasthan

(Released at the Press Conference at Vinoba Gyan Mandir, Jaipur on 25th Sept. 2025)

Our statement is in four parts. Part 1 consists of the logic of our condemnation and rejection, Part II consists of a brief outline of our strategy of lobbying against the Governor signing it, Part III consists of incidents of violence and Part IV consists of the analysis of the bill.

We the undersigned organisations jointly condemn and reject the passage of the “Rajasthan Prohibition of Unlawful Conversion Bill, 2025” in the State Vidhan Sabha on the 9th of September 2025. Rajasthan is now the 13th state to pass this law after the following states, which are as follows.

  1. Odisha: (1967)
  2. Madhya Pradesh: (initial 1968 now a new law 2021)
  3. Arunachal Pradesh: (1978)
  4. Chhattisgarh: (2000 and 2006)
  5. Tamil Nadu (2002 repealed in 2006)
  6. Gujarat: (2003, with amendments in 2021)
  7. Himachal Pradesh: (2006, with amendments in 2019)
  8. Jharkhand: (2017)
  9. Uttarakhand: (2018)
  10. Uttar Pradesh: (2020 with amendments in 2024)
  11. Haryana: (2022)
  12. Karnataka: (2022)
  13. Rajasthan (2025)

These religious conversion laws are being implemented in eleven states presently, with Rajasthan awaiting the Governor’s assent and Tamil Nadu having repealed the law in 2006.

It is our belief that the Rajasthan bill is a draconian law and is nothing but a tool (as in the earlier two attempts in 2006 and 2008), of the BJP to spread the Sangh ideology of majoritarian hatred towards minorities and create an atmosphere of fear within the minority communities living in the State. The Rajasthan law is much wider and more stringent and invasive than any of the other legislations of the 11 states, including the Orissa Freedom of Religion Act, 1967 and The Madhya Pradesh Dharam Swatantray Adhiniyam, 1968 legislations which was upheld by the Supreme Court in the Rev. Stainislaus v. State of M.P., (1977) 1 SCC 677. Or even the UP law of 2020 which amended the punishment sections in 2024. Its provisions fail the test of Constitutionality at every step, whether it be related to definitions, or mechanism for conversion or the proportionality of punishments.

Since the last two weeks, when the bill was (re)placed in the State Assembly on 3rd of September and its passage on the 9th of September, more than 9 incidents of attacks have happened against the Christian Community, showing how unlawful the State is becoming. Incidents took place in Alwar on the 3rd of September 2025 the day the bill was tabled in the State legislature, and other incidents include, 2 in Hanumangarh, 2 in Dungarpur, police harassment with 2 in Kotputli Behor district and 2 in Jaipur, shamefully both in the CMs constituency, which should have been the safest space for all communities. (See table) The license that the passage of this bill in the State legislature has given the right-wing RSS affiliated groups to attack Minorities, including attempts by the Rajasthan Police to criminalise the worship and practicing rights under Article 25, shows how this law will be used in the future to subordinate minorities and deprive all other faiths, other than being Hindu of full expression of their constitutional rights particularly of Article 14, 19, 21 and 25 (a more detailed analysis of the Bill has been given in part IV of the statement.)

Our collective strategy to stop this illegal bill will be as follows:

We all have decided to meet the Governor and explain to him to not sign this unconstitutional bill and instead send it to the President of India under Article 200. In 2006 and 2008, we had been successful in our endeavour with the respective Governor’s to not sign the bill and send it to the President.

We would also conduct a series of dialogues with all communities including all minorities that they should debate this bill publicly and show how bad it is in law and violative of constitutional rights. We are sure that this bill will result in a two-class system of governance.

We will also hold public rallies and public meetings in all districts and the state capital and campaign on social media against this law against this bill, will carry out signature and postcard campaigns to the Governor, and also move the Supreme court once it comes into force, where all the State laws that have been challenged by diverse petitioners are being heard.

Part III: Attacks and FIRs and police intimidation against the Christian Community

From 3rd September onwards, when the law was replaced and tabled again in the Vishan Sabha, 10 incidents have come to our notice. As if the message of the Government to all the Senior police officials, the SPs and Thanas were informed that they can now intimidate any Christian and that the Bajrang Dal/ VHP and others should be given a free hand and no FIR needs to lodged for their acts of Vandalism or hooliganism. Their applications entertained and enquiry needs to be instituted and arrests of Christian Pastors should be made.

In the six Districts of Alwar, Kotputli – Behror, Dungarpur, Sri Ganganagar and Jaipur a total of 10 incidents were reported. In nine the police has intervened mostly from the side of the Bajrang dal and VHP people. In two places arrests of pastors has also been made. The FIRs against these right wing forces only happened in one case, in Jaipur. The table attached shows the complete details of the incidents. The most disconcerting fact has been the repeated attacks on Christians in Pratap Nagar, Jaipur, which is a part of the CMs constituency where the Thana and the Bajrang Dalis have a free hand to do whatever they want. No arrests, no restraining orders, NO medical examinations of the Injured. Shows a completely compromised police in these districts as far as these incidents go.

We demand immediate action in these matters against the Right wing hooligans, Fair and Just investigation in all FIRs lodged and action against the police who are in complete complicity in these matters. (see attached table)

Part IV: A brief analysis of the law of 2025

The draconian definition of allurement in section 2 states that: Even ordinary conversation about and between faiths will now fall within the catchment of prohibition and can be termed allurement leading to a minimum 7 to 14 years punishment along with fines to the tune of Rs 5 lakhs.

Through section 5 of the law, shockingly the RSS concept of Love Jihad has also found place leading to punishment to upto 20 years of imprisonment along with fines upto twenty five lakhs.

We would also like to state that, interestingly the law like in many States, including in Rajasthan too, will not apply to the Sangh Parivar Policy of Gharwapsi, Section 3 (4) meaning that “….if any person re-converts to original religion i.e. ancestral religion, the same shall not be deemed to be a conversion under this Act”, no permission will be required if a person wishes to convert to the “original” religion., whereas all other conversions require three months permission with the Collector. No definition of original/ancestral religion has been stated an attempt to show Hindu religion as the default religion of this region, showing complete supremacy of it over all religions, including Buddhism, Jainism, Sikh, Islam, Christianity in contravention to Article 14, 19, 21 and 25 of the Indian Constitution.

The outlawing of even the Mass conversion (conversion of more than two or more persons together)as stated in section 5 of the bill, forget what Dr Bhim Rao Ambedkar did with converting approximately 365,000 to 500,000 followers to Buddhism with on October 14, 1956, at Deeksha Bhoomi in Nagpur, the idea of the mass conversion was a symbolic act of rejecting the caste system in particular the acts of social discrimination, untouchability and all types of social inequality. Or that of the Meenakshipuram, TN of 1980 when large numbers of Dalits converted in 1980 to Islam, Or that of Dalits of Kumher, Rajasthan who after massive caste riot in 1992, chose to convert to Sikhism to get out of the cycle of untouchability, social discrimination and violence. All these would not just be permissible but would offend public order according to their definition and result in sentencing upto life imprisonment, fine to the tune of 25 lakhs (section 5) and forfeiture (section 12) and bulldozer action (13) against the properties of the individual and of the institute for so called illegal and mass conversion.

The Rajasthan Religious Conversion Bill, 2025 would not stand the scrutiny of the law due to its severe mandatory sentences of punishment align with offences being cognizable and non-bailable. Punishments from 7 years to life imprisonment, penalties to to the tune of thirty lakhs for heinous crimes and to be handed over to survivors, and last but not the least, if organisations are involved in violating the law, then cancellation of registration Including bull dozer action can be undertaken. The punishments actually supercede the concept of reasonableness and proportionality and would not pass a court of law.

The law also seriously violates the right to privacy as pronounced by the SC in the Puttusamy judgement of 2018 as the process of conversion, not only requires a sixty day prior to the date of conversion an application to any public authority including the Collector but also a declaration which will be displayed on noticeboards, inviting objections, violating an individual’s freedom of conscience and choice of choosing her religion as a personal, private right. Similarly just about anyone can report a possible violation and an enquiry will be initiated by the police, showing how this right can be misused to settle scores and also genuinely snatch the right to choose my religion.

Apart from the above the anti-conversion Bill of 2025 impacts both the issues of Legislative Competency as it falls under entries of the Union under List -I and III and does not fall within the State list, that is sufficient to give the Union legislative competence. It also impacts on the interpretation of the word propagate on the fundamental right to religion, which includes the right to convert, which this law is treating as illegal.

Because this law is draconian in its provisions, unconstitutional its sections, brazenly violating Articles 14, 19, 21 and 25, they will not stand scrutiny under the due process of law and should be referred to the President under Article 200 of the constitution of India.

Sawai Singh, John Mathew and Muzammil

On behalf of

PUCL (People’s Union for Civil Liberties) and several other concerned organizations.