Maharashtra's legislature passed the Freedom of Religion Bill in both houses during the budget session, with support from opposition parties like Shiv Sena UBT and NCP SP. Once the Governor assents, Maharashtra will become India's 13th state with anti-forced conversion legislation. Congress and Samajwadi Party opposed it.
The Freedom of Religion Bill was cleared by the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly on March 16 and the Legislative Council on March 17 during the ongoing budget session. Most major opposition parties supported it, except Congress and Samajwadi Party, which were absent during the voice vote in the lower house or opposed it. Shiv Sena (UBT) MLA Bhaskar Jadhav stated, “We support the bill. It does not mention any particular religion. Every religion has this tendency that people become custodians of religion. Humans have made religion. Religion hasn’t made humans. There is nothing wrong with the bill. I welcome it with open arms. It doesn’t target any particular religion.” In the upper house, Shiv Sena (UBT) MLC Anil Parab raised issues like the state's responsibility for education and medical care to prevent forced conversions and questioned the 60-day prior notice requirement. All parties agreed on cracking down on forcible conversions but highlighted concerns over lack of empirical data, potential infringement on constitutional religious freedom, the 60-day notice, and risks of administrative misuse. Congress MLA Aslam Sheikh questioned, “What is the need to bring about such a bill? Is it to target a particular community?” NCP MLC Idris Naikwadi asked, “Who are you to stop voluntary conversion? How can you take away someone’s right to change religion?” Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis noted that 12 states, including Odisha, Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh, and others, have similar laws. He said, “It is not against any one particular religion... Existing laws do not have clear provisions for effective action.”
