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
A Protestant pastor held in incommunicado detention for almost six months in Nicaragua has been released, Christians confirmed Thursday.
U.S. forces have seized another sanctioned oil tanker in the Caribbean Sea, underscoring the Trump administration’s tightening grip on Venezuela’s oil sector as opposition leader Maria Corina Machado prepares to meet President Donald Trump.
Iran abruptly shut down its airspace to commercial traffic early Thursday and the United States began repositioning military forces and personnel across the Middle East as President Donald Trump weighs potential action against Tehran amid a deadly crackdown on nationwide protests, escalating threats to U.S. bases, mass evacuation warnings, and growing signs that Washington and its allies are preparing for a possible regional confrontation.
President Donald Trump warned Thursday that he is prepared to invoke the Insurrection Act if Minnesota’s Democratic leadership fails to halt escalating violence against federal law-enforcement officers amid ongoing Immigration and Customs Enforcement operations in the state.
The United States will indefinitely suspend immigrant visa processing for applicants from 75 countries beginning January 21, the U.S. Department of State announced Wednesday, marking a significant expansion of the Trump administration’s immigration restrictions.
China is reassessing its strategy in Latin America following the U.S.-led removal of Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro, a move that abruptly dismantled Beijing’s most important foothold in what it increasingly views as Washington’s backyard, according to an exclusive report by The Wall Street Journal.
U.S. Secretary of War Pete Hegseth vowed Monday to dismantle Pentagon bureaucracy slowing artificial intelligence development, unveiling a sweeping push to deliver AI capabilities to U.S. warfighters at speed during a speech at SpaceX’s Starbase launch site in Texas.