Religious conversion law was included in 2006, according to which an attempt to convert a Muslim will be penalised with five years in prison and a fine of USD70 to 140.
Muhammad Aissa, director of the Ministry of Religious Affairs, explained that the new law was to restrict Christian evangelists who were part of the "tool to destabilize the country during the last bloody decade.
It specifies that although religious conversion itself is permissible, it contains an anti-conversion law that prohibits religious act that "incites, constrains, or utilizes means of seduction intending to convert a Muslim to another religion; or by using establishments of teaching, education, health, social, culture, training…or any financial means."
The constitution of Bhutan states that Buddhism is the religious heritage of the country and violation of Buddhist practices are prohibited.
Although it emphasises on "the right to freedom of thought, conscience, and religion" to all its citizens, its constitution has a clause: "No person shall be compelled to belong to another faith by means of coercion or inducement.
[4] The Chhattisgarh Religion Freedom (Amendment) Act, 2006 legalised either a three-year imprisonment and penalty up to INR 20,000 or both for offenders.
[4] The Haryana Prevention of Unlawful Conversion of Religion Act, 2022, provides a penalty of one to five years imprisonment and a fine of INR 100,000.
It also makes concealment of religion during marriage a punishable crime carrying a penalty of three to ten years imprisonment and a fine of INR 300,000.
[14] The Karnataka Protection of Right to Freedom of Religion Act, 2021, was approved in 2022 that prohibits unauthorised inter-religious marriage.
It passed its Dharma Swatantrya Adhiniyam (Religious Freedom Act) in 1968 enforcing "prohibition of conversion from one religion to another by use of force or allurement, or by fraudulent means, and matters incidental thereto."
[15] The Madhya Pradesh Freedom of Religion Ordinance, 2020, enforced in 2021, imposes offence with up to one year in prison, and a fine of INR 5,000.
A lawyer and expert in Indian constitution, Hormasji Maneckji Seervai had remarked the Supreme Court standing on upholding the anticonversion laws as wrong and "productive of the greatest public mischief.
"[16] Most of the anti-conversion laws in India were implemented after the Narendra Modi-led the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) took up the Indian government since 2014, except in Chhattisgarh, Himachal Pradesh and Odisha.
As one of the propagandas under the right-wing activism, the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), regulations on religious conversion became a major objectives of BJP.
[24] The BJP itself has no specified nation-wide policy on religious conversion issues, and the party leaders do not share the same enthusiasms.
At the Lok Sabha session in 2022, a Union minister Giriraj Singh said, "There should be a law against dharmantaran (religious proselytisation) across the country.
[34] The opposition party, the Indian National Congress, the Janata Dal (Secular) and Christian community opposed to[35] and protested against the bill arguing it as unconstitutional and "completely illegal."
"[37] The court specified that inter-religious marriage is not a form of forced conversion unless there are evidences of frauds and allurement, and does not require official approval from the district magistrate.
[39] As of 2021, in Uttar Pradesh, 108 police reports involving 350 people, with 189 arrests and 72 convictions were recorded for violation of anti-conversion law.
[43] A day after the Karnataka law was enacted on 17 May 2022, Pastor Kuryichan V and his wife Salenamma were arrested by the Kerala police following a complaint from the Hindu activists for performing mass conversion tribal workers in Kodagu.
They were initially arrested under the Indian Penal Code Section 295 (a) (deliberate and malicious acts, intended to outrage religious feelings of any class by insulting its religion or religious beliefs), as the police had not yet received the official notification of the anti-conversion law[44] and will be charged under the new law once received.
[49][50] In December 2021, there was a police case of allegedly inducing Christianity to Hindu children and child trafficking in the organisation.
"[56] The Jathika Hela Urumaya, a Buddhist nationalists' party, introduced the Bill on Prohibition of Forcible Conversion in 2004.
[57] According to proposed provision the penalty for offence would be an imprisonment for seven years and a fine of up to Sri Lankan rupees 500,000 (USD4,425).
[58] The Christian and civil rights groups challenged it to the Supreme Court, which ruled that the main clauses violate the constitution.