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 Christian man in Malta who faced jail time for publicly stating he had left the gay lifestyle said he “praises God” after being acquitted following a three-year legal battle in a case that could have wider European ramifications.
Israel says its war against Iran is entering a more intense phase after the Israeli Air Force achieved broad air superiority and severely weakened the regime’s military infrastructure.
Concerns grew Thursday that the U.S.-Israeli conflict with Iran could affect the war in Ukraine, amid fears Washington may soon lack sufficient munitions to continue supporting Kyiv, including through its European allies.
The Trump administration has ended federal funding for gender-transition surgeries and cross-sex hormone treatments for transgender inmates in federal prisons, a policy shift officials say will save taxpayers nearly $2 million.
A widespread power outage plunged large portions of Cuba into darkness Wednesday, leaving millions without electricity across the island’s western and central regions, including the capital city of Havana.
Hundreds of Christians, including family members, have protested the killing of a young Christian agricultural worker by one or more Muslims in Pakistan’s eastern Punjab province and the alleged reluctance by authorities to properly investigate the case.
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said Wednesday that President Donald Trump’s newly announced 15% global import tariff is expected to take effect sometime this week as the administration moves to rebuild its tariff framework after a recent Supreme Court ruling struck down part of the president’s trade agenda.