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Maharashtra anti-conversion law brings consent forms to churchgoers

Maharashtra anti-conversion law brings consent forms to churchgoers

Rule Changes

Churches in the state now collect written declarations that worshippers attend voluntarily, as the 13th Indian state restricts religious conversion.

October 22nd, 2026: Bombay High Court lets scholar refile challenge to conversion law

Overview

Updated Oct 17

Churches around Mumbai still ask worshippers to sign a form stating they came to pray of their own free will. About 4,000 churches in the Mumbai metropolitan area collect the forms, keeping them in case a prayer meeting is challenged and organizers are accused of attempting conversion.

Maharashtra is the 13th Indian state to restrict religious conversion. The law makes conversion by force, fraud, coercion or inducement a crime punishable by up to seven years, ten for repeat offenses. On October 22, the Bombay High Court let an Islamic scholar withdraw his challenge and file a fuller petition, saying his first plea did not adequately show how the law affects ordinary people. A separate petition filed in the Supreme Court on October 14 is pending.

Why it matters

A conversion judged unlawful can bring seven years in prison, so churches around Mumbai now document every worshipper's attendance to protect themselves.

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Key Indicators

13
Indian states with anti-conversion laws
Maharashtra is the most recent, with several laws already challenged before the Supreme Court.
7 years
Maximum prison term for unlawful conversion
Rises to 10 years for repeat offenses; conversions by force, fraud or inducement are null and void.
60 days
Advance notice required for voluntary conversion
The converting person and the ceremony organizer must notify a Competent Authority before the conversion.
4,000
Churches collecting consent forms in Mumbai area
Reported by Dawn, churches keep the declarations against future complaints.
25 days
Window to file a conversion declaration after the fact
The declaration must list the convert's name, addresses, original and new religion, and the conversion's nature, or the conversion is null and void.
2
Courts now weighing the act
A Supreme Court petition filed October 14 and a Bombay High Court challenge, refiled after the court asked for a fuller plea on October 22, both contest the law.

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People Involved

PB
Pankaj Bhoyar
Maharashtra state minister
Defended the law during its passage
 Lara Jesani
Lara Jesani
Lawyer for interfaith couples
Helping couples obtain court protection
BV
Bhante Vishal
Buddhist community figure
Raised concerns about the law's reach
MK
Maulana Halimullah Farooque Ahemed Khan
Islamic scholar and petitioner
Withdrew his September petition on October 22, 2026, after the Bombay High Court said it did not adequately set out the law's effects; the court allowed him to file a fresh, comprehensive plea.

Organizations Involved

Government of Maharashtra
Government of Maharashtra
State government
Enacted the Maharashtra Freedom of Religion Act, 2026

The state government that drafted and enacted the anti-conversion law, defending it as protection for vulnerable people from forced or deceived changes of religion.
Bajrang Dal
Bajrang Dal
Hindu nationalist organization
Two members face police cases over prayer meeting disruptions

A Hindu nationalist group at the center of allegations about coerced conversions, with two members facing police cases connected to disruptions of Christian prayer meetings.
Catholic Church in India
Catholic Church in India
Religious body
Warns the law could target minorities

Catholic leaders and rights advocates warn the law's broad definitions could be used to target religious minorities and restrict constitutional freedoms.
AP
Association for Protection of Civil Rights (APCR)
Civil rights organization
Filed a Supreme Court petition challenging the act's constitutionality

Civil rights organization that filed a Public Interest Litigation before the Supreme Court on October 14, 2026, challenging the Maharashtra Freedom of Religion Act.

Timeline

July 2026 October 2026

9 events Latest: October 22nd, 2026 · 3 weeks ago
Tap a bar to jump to that date

  1. Bombay High Court lets scholar refile challenge to conversion law

    Latest Legal

    The court allowed Maulana Halimullah Farooque Ahemed Khan to withdraw his petition against the Maharashtra Freedom of Religion Act and file a fresh, comprehensive one, saying the original did not adequately show the difficulties citizens may face.

  2. Supreme Court petition challenges Maharashtra conversion act

    Legal

    The Association for Protection of Civil Rights filed a Public Interest Litigation before the Supreme Court, assigned Diary No. 64972/2026, arguing the act breaches freedom of conscience, religion, liberty and privacy.

  3. Bombay High Court quashes conversion case against four Christians

    Legal

    The Nagpur bench ruled on October 6, order made public October 13, that promoting one's own religion does not outrage religious feelings. The alleged conduct also pre-dated the act's August 28 start.

  4. BBC reports law's effect on churchgoers

    Reporting

    BBC reports on the consent-form practice, noting the law raises questions about faith, choice and freedom across Maharashtra.

  5. Islamic scholar challenges act before Bombay High Court

    Legal

    A petition by Mr. Khan argued the act exceeds state power and discriminates by gender, imposing harsher penalties for converting women and requiring 60 days' notice before a person can formally change religion.

  6. Mumbai churches begin collecting written declarations

    Practice

    Churches around Mumbai start asking worshippers to sign forms stating they attend of their own free will, defending against future complaints.

  7. Pune police act before law's start date, then walk it back

    Legal

    Police registered a case ahead of the act's start date, then withdrew; the sequence raised questions about checks before cases under the act.

  8. Maharashtra Freedom of Religion Act takes effect

    Legal

    Act published in Maharashtra Gazette after President Droupadi Murmu's assent, criminalizing conversions by force, fraud or inducement.

  9. Investigation documents five prayer meeting disruptions

    Investigation

    Indian Express investigation finds five disruptions of Christian prayer meetings around Mumbai between April and July, with nine police cases filed.

Scenarios

1

Supreme Court strikes down core provisions

Possible Resolves by End of 2027

Discussed by: UCA News and rights advocates; several state anti-conversion laws are already challenged before the court

The Supreme Court of India already has multiple state anti-conversion laws before it. If it rules that the Maharashtra act's notice and declaration requirements breach the constitutional right to freedom of religion under Article 25, enforcement would stop and churches could drop the consent forms. A narrower ruling could uphold the law's core while trimming specific provisions.

2

Consent forms become standard practice across the state

Likely Resolves by Sep 29, 2027

Discussed by: BBC News and The Hindu, which said the form is 'likely to become standard practice at more congregations'

The self-declaration form spreads church by church, becoming routine documentation rather than a defensive gesture. Worship continues, but every service carries paperwork and organizers keep records against future complaints. The law operates less as an active prosecutor's tool and more as a deterrent that reshapes how congregations meet.

3

Police cases against prayer meetings rise

Possible Resolves by Q2 2027

Discussed by: The Indian Express, which documented April-July disruptions; critics cited by BBC

If complainants, including relatives under the law's new provision, file more cases, police investigate more prayer meetings and organizers. The law's burden-shifting clause, which lets the accused prove a conversion was lawful, would then face its first real tests in court. Each outcome would set precedent for how broadly 'inducement' and 'allurement' are read.

4

Courts narrow how 'inducement' is read

Possible Resolves by Q2 2027

Discussed by: Bombay High Court ruling in Joseph Khudawant v State of Maharashtra; legal observers cited by UCA News

The Nagpur bench's October ruling that promoting one's own religion does not outrage religious feelings may guide how judges read 'inducement' and 'allurement' under the new act. If courts require proof of actual force, fraud or coercion, police cases built on weak allegations could fail. The two pending challenges give the courts a chance to set that standard.

Historical Context

2 moments from history that rhyme with this story — and how they unfolded.

1950–present

The constitutional fault line over religious practice (1950–present)

India's constitution guarantees the right to freely profess, practice and propagate religion, but makes that right subject to public order, morality and health. Courts have long drawn a distinction between the right to profess a faith and the right to practice it in a particular manner, with the latter more firmly limited by law.

Then

The distinction gave the state room to regulate religious practice in the name of public order.

Now

It underpins the legal reasoning that state anti-conversion laws may be constitutional even where voluntary conversion remains a protected right.

Why this matters now

The Maharashtra act sits directly on this fault line, and the Supreme Court's pending cases will test where the line now falls.

2020s

Spread of state anti-conversion laws (2020s)

More than a dozen Indian states now restrict religious conversion, with the laws expanding in reach in recent years, particularly in states governed by the Bharatiya Janata Party. Several are being challenged before the Supreme Court.

Then

Churches in states with new laws adjust practice, as seen in Maharashtra's consent forms.

Now

The Supreme Court's rulings on these stacked challenges could settle the constitutional scope of anti-conversion law nationwide.

Why this matters now

Maharashtra is the most recent state in this wave, and its experiment with consent forms may become a template for others.

Sources

(14)
+8
BBC News The Hindu PRS India UCA News Christianity Today DAWN Christian Post Radiance News Chakranews Verdictum Sisnoo Mission Network News LiveLaw UCA News