Update: anti-conversion bill approved by governor in Maharashtra state

In the latest from India, an anti-conversion bill has been approved by the state governor of Maharashtra. The bill has now been sent to the president of India and awaits her approval before it can become law. Please pray for our brothers and sisters in Maharashtra as they anticipate the impact of the bill, and for the church across India.

Maharashtra State, following the lead of a dozen other Indian states, has been making substantial progress in anti-conversion legislation. The latest news reveals that the state’s anti-conversion bill, which was drafted earlier this year proposing harsher punishment for unlawful conversion, has been approved by State Governor Jishnu Dev Varma. Now, the bill awaits the assent of the president of India, Draupadi Murmu, before it can become law.

Whilst many supported the governor’s approval of the bill, numerous opposition parties and civil society organisations strongly opposed the proposal. Many have expressed concerns that it could infringe on an individual’s right to choose their religion and freedom of marriage – because, while such laws purport to prevent forced or coerced conversion, in reality they are abused to target and harass followers of non-Hindu faiths. If Maharashtra State adopts the bill, it will become the 13^th state in India with an anti-conversion bill.

The barriers to declaring faith

The key points of the new bill detail a lengthy declaration process: the individual must provide advance notice of their religion change, to then be publicly displayed for scrutiny over 30 days. If objections are raised, a police inquiry may be initiated to investigate the request. After this period, a formal declaration must be sent to the authorities within 21 days.

Alongside the rigorous process, there are several clauses to the document. If at any point the individual seeking to change their religion fails to fulfil the bill’s demands, the conversion will be rendered null and void. Conversion by inducement, which is not accepted as lawful, has a broad definition, including offers of gifts, employment and free education. Further, any marriage conducted for conversion will also be considered null and void.

Please pray

As in other states, the demands of anti-conversion laws have been exploited to condemn Christians of supposedly forcing others to convert. Pressure is mounting on church leaders as well; as those teaching and discipling, they are especially vulnerable to attack and accusation.

Please pray for our brothers and sisters in India at this time – especially those in Maharashtra State. Pray that,

• The Lord would intervene and guide leaders to act wisely and justly, providing religious freedom for all
• For peace and unity amongst believers in India, that they would trust the Lord regardless of the pressures they face
• For strength and wisdom for church leaders
• That Christians in India would shine even brighter with the hope of the gospel, pointing many to Christ.

30 March 2026

The ongoing battle for religious freedom in India

Recent clashes and policy decisions indicate the difficult reality Christians in India are facing, and it seems that it will only get worse in the near future. Believers already endure the threat of allegations of forcing others to convert, whilst others are seeing their rights restrained when it comes to burying their loved ones. 

India is number 12 on the World Watch List and many of its citizens consider Hinduism the national religion, synonymous with Indian identity. Christians make up only 4.9% of the population and are routinely targeted by Hindutva extremists who uphold this view. How this looks in daily life varies across the country but indicates a growing pattern. 

Deprived of dignity 

The beginning of 2025 marked a significant moment for Christians in India, when the country’s Supreme Court intervened in the case of a Christian burial in a village’s cemetery in Chhattisgarh state. The Court ruled in favour of the believer who sought to lay his father to rest but was opposed by the state’s High Court. The individual was finally able to bury his father in a cemetery 20 kilometres away from his home. 

Almost one year later, in February 2026, the Supreme Court once again intervened to halt the forcible relocation of the bodies of tribal Christians who had been buried in a cemetery in the same state of Chhattisgarh. The affected Christian villagers made an appeal to the Supreme Court under their right to approach the Court if their fundamental rights are being violated. 

Such moments represent a glimmer of hope in the often-wearying circumstances of believers in India. It is also perceived by some to be a revolutionary step in the upholding of burial rights and religious freedom in general for Christians in the nation. 

“The recent incidents highlight the increasing challenges faced by the Christian community in practising their faith freely and even burying their dead with dignity in India,” Open Doors partner Priya Sharma* shares. “The intervention of the Supreme Court of India in the burial dispute is significant, as it protects the constitutional rights of every individual despite their religious identity.” 

But uncertainty and opposition remain. Later in February, a Christian woman named Sambai Mandavi passed away and her husband was kept from burying her in the village cemetery and their private farmland because of their faith. He filed a formal complaint and a week later was able to bury his wife in a Christian graveyard – 200 kilometres away from the village. 

Falsely accused 

Beyond complaints about burials, believers continue to face threats of arrest or worse under the notorious anti-conversion laws currently active across 12 states in India. Chhattisgarh is one of the 12 with these laws in place and its authorities are seeking to make punishments harsher for those labelled as guilty of forcing the conversion of others. The new bill was proposed on 10 March and awaits the approval of the State Governor.  

There have already been numerous instances of Christians being accused of forcible conversion as a means of attacking and dissuading believers from gathering. One instance of this was on 1 March in Karnataka state, southern India, when Hindutva extremists intruded into a meeting of Christians and branded them with accusations of alluring and bribing individuals to convert. The believers, 20 in number, were arrested by the police, interrogated, and released the next day on bail. 

West India has seen the Maharashtra cabinet approve a draft of their own anti-conversion law that proposes seven years imprisonment and a fine for unlawful religious conversion. If the bill is accepted by the State Governor, Maharashtra state will become the 13^th state in India to have implemented anti-conversion laws. 

Priya Sharma says, “For believers in Karnataka, being accused of forced conversion reflects the growing pattern where prayer gatherings are misinterpreted and criminalised. The proposed anti-conversion bills in Maharashtra and Chhattisgarh add to the fear and uncertainty of the Christian community. While governments justify such laws as measures to curb forced conversions, there is concern that they are being misused by extremists to intimidate or harass Christians and other religious minorities.” 

Prayers for the future 

Whilst Christians make up only 4.9% of the population in India, their numbers amount to 72.3 million. Each believer needs your prayers as their freedoms continue to be encroached upon. 

Priya Sharma requests, “Please pray for these toxic situations surrounding the Christians in India. Pray for freedom of religion to be upheld. May there be justice, compassion and peace for all people, and every individual to have the freedom to live and practise their faith with dignity.” 

*Name changed for security reasons