by Karen Faulkner, Worthy News Correspondent
(Worthy News) – In a move that appears to violate India’s constitutionally protected right to freedom of religion, the Hindu-nationalist-led state of Rajasthan has approved an anti-conversion law that provides prison terms for anyone who “unduly influences” a person to change their religion and requires citizens who want to change their faith to inform authorities 60 days in advance, International Christian Concern (ICC) reports.
Rajasthan will become India’s 12th state to have anti-conversion legislation if the bill is passed by the state legislature during the winter assembly session. Notably, such laws in other Indian states have been abused to severely harass and persecute Christians.
Titled the Rajasthan Prohibition of Unlawful Conversion of Religion Bill 2024, the anti-conversion law provides that people found to have suffered unlawful conversions can be compensated up to 500,000 Indian rupees (about $590), while offenders may be imprisoned for up to 10 years, ICC explains in its report.
“It also stipulates that any individual who wishes to convert to another religion must notify the district authority at least 60 days in advance. Then, a notice of 30 days must be given for any ceremony for the conversion. Then again, after the conversion, the person concerned must inform the collector through an affidavit within 60 days,” ICC reports.
“These three layers of the conversion process make it formidable and controversial and could also likely contradict the country’s constitutional right to freedom of religion,” ICC notes.
The Indian states that already have anti-conversion laws in place are Arunachal Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, Uttarakhand, and Uttar Pradesh.
Ruled by the Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party since 2014, India ranks 11 on the Open Doors World Watch List 2024 of the top 50 countries where Christians are persecuted.
Copyright 1999-2026 Worthy News. This article was originally published on Worthy News and was reproduced with permission.
More Worthy News
Israel will expand its buffer zone in southern Lebanon while continuing military operations against Hezbollah, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced Wednesday, following a security cabinet meeting that ended without a ceasefire agreement.
The United States Senate has voted down multiple resolutions aimed at halting U.S. weapons sales to Israel, but the votes revealed a notable shift within the Democratic Party, where support for such measures has surged in recent years.
House Democrats are preparing to introduce five articles of impeachment against War Secretary Pete Hegseth on Wednesday, intensifying political divisions in Washington over the Trump administration’s military campaign against Iran.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced a historic battlefield milestone this week, declaring that Ukrainian forces successfully captured a Russian position using only unmanned robotic systems—marking what he described as a first in modern warfare.
Iran secretly deployed a Chinese-built surveillance satellite to monitor U.S. military bases across the Middle East during the recent conflict, significantly enhancing its targeting capabilities, according to a new investigation by the Financial Times.
U.S. President Donald Trump declared Wednesday that the United States will not agree to any peace deal with Iran unless Tehran fully abandons its nuclear ambitions, reinforcing a hardline stance as diplomatic efforts continue amid rising regional tensions.
A Christian family’s home was reportedly set on fire following a local dispute in eastern Pakistan, highlighting ongoing concerns about the safety of minority communities in the Muslim-majority nation.