Chhattisgarh cabinet clears bill to regulate religious conversions

The Chhattisgarh cabinet on Tuesday approved the draft of the Chhattisgarh Dharm Swantantraya Vidheyak, 2026 (Freedom of Religion Bill, 2026) , aimed at preventing religious conversions through force, inducement, fraudulent means, or misrepresentation. The decision was taken at a cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai at the legislative assembly premises during the ongoing budget session.

Deputy Chief Minister Arun Sao said the bill is designed to curb conversions carried out by coercion, allurement, undue influence, or false representation. It aims to prevent forced conversions while respecting citizens’ constitutional rights. Article 25 of the Indian Constitution guarantees freedom of conscience and the right to profess, practice, and propagate religion, including voluntary conversion. Courts have cautioned that vague definitions of inducement should not penalize genuine conversions, and the complainant must prove that the conversion was truly forced.

Over the past four years (2021–2025), Chhattisgarh recorded 102 incidents related to religious conversion disputes , with 44 FIRs registered , including 23 in the last year. Government data shows FIRs for alleged conversion activities ranged from 0 in 2019 to 12 in 2024, reflecting complaints under the existing law rather than confirmed forced conversions.

Chhattisgarh joins several other states with similar laws. At least eight states , including Odisha, Madhya Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Gujarat, Himachal Pradesh, Jharkhand, and Uttarakhand, already have anti-conversion laws, while Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Karnataka, and Rajasthan have enacted similar legislation, bringing the total to around a dozen states.

In other key decisions, the cabinet approved the withdrawal of 13 cases related to political protests , and subsidy proposals for non-conventional energy projects through Chhattisgarh State Renewable Energy Development Agency ( CREDA) , including Rs 1.5 lakh for solar high-mast plants and Rs 9,000 per unit for domestic biogas plants. The cabinet also cleared drafts of the Town and Country Planning (Amendment) Bill, 2026, Housing Board Act (Amendment) Bill, 2026, Staff Selection Board Bill, 2026, Public Recruitment and Professional Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Bill, 2026, and the Cess (Amendment) Bill, 2026, which will remove the additional property registration cess linked to the now-inactive Rajiv Gandhi Mitan Club scheme.