3 min readMumbaiMar 12, 2026 01:29 AM IST
As many as 35 civil society organisations on Wednesday opposed the Maharashtra government’s proposed anti-conversion legislation, calling it an infringement on women’s rights and personal freedoms.
Feminist collectives, social justice organisations, student groups and minority organisations representing Muslim, Christian and Dalit communities urged the state government to withdraw the draft law, referred to as a “love jihad” law.
Last week, the Maharashtra Cabinet approved the Maharashtra Dharma Swatantrya Adhiniyam, 2026, which seeks to curb unlawful or forced religious conversions. The proposed law provides for imprisonment of up to seven years and a fine of up to Rs 5 lakh.
Addressing a press conference in Mumbai, representatives of the organisations raised concerns over provisions expected in the bill, based on media reports and similar laws enacted in other states. These include a requirement to seek permission from a designated officer before conversion, a 60-day advance notice of conversion, and post-conversion registration within 25 days — failing which the conversion could be declared invalid.
They also flagged provisions allowing relatives or, in some cases, members of the public to file criminal complaints alleging coercion.
“The law violates the constitutional rights to life and personal liberty, privacy, and freedom of religion,” said Teesta Setalvad, secretary of Citizens for Justice and Peace. Setalvad is among the petitioners who challenged similar laws in nine states before the Supreme Court of India in 2020 – the matter remains pending.
Lawyer Lara Jesani of the People’s Union for Civil Liberties said freedom of religion includes the right to convert.
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“In a patriarchal society, the law will become a weapon in the hands of families, vigilante groups and the state machinery to prevent women from marrying partners of their choice or converting of their own will,” she said. She added that Hindu women marrying Muslim men would be disproportionately targeted amid ongoing “love jihad” campaigns.
Also present at the press conference was Dominic Savio Fernandes, auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of Bombay. “Although the law is titled a freedom of religion act, it contradicts its intention and seeks to take away that freedom. Conversion is an adult’s decision, not the parents’ or the state’s,” he said.
The organisations said the draft law has not yet been made public and criticised the lack of transparency. They demanded wider consultations with women’s groups, minority communities and other stakeholders before any legislation is introduced.
They also argued that existing provisions under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita are sufficient to deal with cases of coercion or forced conversion.
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Among the groups opposing the proposal are Mumbai for Peace, Association for Protection of Civil Rights, Forum Against Oppression of Women, Bombay Catholic Sabha, India Love Project, Dalit Human Rights Defenders Network, Indian Muslims for Secular Democracy, and Muslim Satyashodhak Mandal.
