State Anti-conversion Laws in India Updated October 2018
https://tile.loc.gov/storage-services/service/ll/llglrd/2018298841/2018298841.pdf
The Supreme Court in Rev Stainislaus v. State of Madhya Pradesh153 examined whether the right to practice and propagate one’s religion also included the right to convert.
the Court held that propagation only indicated persuasion/exposition without coercion and that the right to propagate did not include the right to convert any person. This holding was summed up
by the Court as follows:
It has to be remembered that Article 25(1) guarantees “freedom of conscience” to every citizen, and not merely to the followers of one particular religion, and that, in turn, postulates that there is no fundamental right to convert another person to one’s own religion because if a person purposely undertakes the conversion of another person to his religion, as distinguished from his effort to transmit or spread the tenets of his religion, that would impinge on the “freedom of conscience” guaranteed to all the citizens of the country alike
The State laws
These are: (i) Odisha (1967), http://lawodisha.gov.in/files/acts/act_884132771_1437987451.pdf (ii) Madhya Pradesh (1968) https://cjp.org.in/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/MADHYA-PRADESH-DHARMA-SWATANTRYA-ADHINIYAM-1968.pdf , (iii) Arunachal Pradesh (1978) https://cjp.org.in/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/Arunachal-Pradesh-Freedom-of-Religion-Act-1978-.pdf , (iv) Chhattisgarh (2000 https://gulfnews.com/world/asia/india/chhattisgarh-passes-anti-conversion-bill-1.248514 and 2006) http://www.upslc.upsdc.gov.in/MediaGallery/8thReport.pdf , (v) Gujarat (2003) https://lawsofindia.blinkvisa.com/pdf/gujarat/2003/2003GUJARAT22.pdf , (vi) Himachal Pradesh (2006 https://www.indiacode.nic.in/bitstream/123456789/5395/1/the_himachal_pradesh_freedom_of_religion_act%2C_2006.pdf and 2019) https://prsindia.org/files/bills_acts/acts_states/himachal-pradesh/2019/Act%2013%20of%202019%20HP.pdf , (vii) Jharkhand (2017) https://www.indiacode.nic.in/bitstream/123456789/4743/1/657_2_2017.pdf , and (viii) Uttarakhand (2018) https://prsindia.org/files/bills_acts/acts_states/uttarakhand/2018/Act%2028%20of%202018%20UKD.pdf . Additionally, the Himachal Pradesh (2019) and Uttarakhand legislations also declare a marriage to be void if it was done for the sole purpose of unlawful conversion, or vice versa. Further, the states of Tamil Nadu (2002 https://www.latestlaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/Tamil-Nadu-Prohibition-of-Forcible-Conversion-of-Religion-Act-2002.pdf ) and Rajasthan (2006 https://cjp.org.in/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/Rajasthan_Freedom_of_Religion_Bill.pdf and 2008) had also passed similar legislation (PRS 2020). https://prsindia.org/theprsblog/anti-conversion-legislation-comparison-of-the-up-ordinances-with-other-state-laws