State Anti-Conversion Laws
Legislative Landscape
India has no central anti-conversion law, though bills have been introduced in Parliament. Multiple states have enacted their own freedom of religion acts under Entry 1 (Public Order) of the State List (Seventh Schedule). Odisha was the first to enact such a law in 1967 (the Orissa Freedom of Religion Act, 1967), followed by Madhya Pradesh (1968). More recent enactments include those in Uttar Pradesh (2021), Uttarakhand (2022), Gujarat, Himachal Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, and Jharkhand.
- Odisha's 1967 Act and Madhya Pradesh's 1968 Act were the laws upheld in Stanislaus (1977).
- States with existing anti-conversion laws generally require prior notice to district authorities before conversions and post-conversion declarations.
- The UP Prohibition of Unlawful Religious Conversion Act, 2021 introduced one of the strictest penalty regimes, with provisions specifically targeting "love jihad" (conversion by marriage).
- Maharashtra's Bill follows this trend but adds the 60-day advance notice and mass conversion provisions, making it among the most procedurally elaborate.
- Constitutionally, Entry 1 of the State List empowers states to legislate on "public order," which the Court used in Stanislaus to uphold such laws.
● Tracked since March 14, 2026 · last seen May 13, 2026 · updates as the daily brief publishes
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